How to choose between HTTP or MQTT?

[arjanvanb (Arjan)]

@LuisSchweigard

my Bachelor’s Thesis and trying to connect TheThingsNetwork

Totally unrelated to your question, but please write “The Things Network” with spaces in your thesis.

And part of the answer:

@arjanvanb

For one’s own server (like a Raspberry Pi), those are indeed the two options. As you don’t seem to understand the difference:

• An HTTP web server along with the HTTP Integration needs you to carefully open up your Pi to the internet (some settings in your modem/router) to allow TTN to connect to it, and needs you to set up the integration in TTN Console.

• An MQTT client for the MQTT Data API connects to TTN itself, so does not need the Pi to be accessible over the internet. Also, many Pi’s come with Node-RED installed, which has built-in support for MQTT. This does not need any configuration in TTN Console (though you could add an extra application Access Key for this specific client).

Both options need to be running at all times. (Though HTTP could be using AWS Lambda’s/Azure Functions and the like for on-demand access.)