🛠️ The Beginning: A Surprise Assignment
In my fifth semester—right after summer break, when I had built up my web development stack and started exploring project ideas—our university web programming professor gave us a new assignment.
The task? Build a web app that displays and logs real-time data from IoT devices.
This wasn’t something I was familiar with. I had worked on web apps but had no experience connecting them to hardware or handling real-time data streams from sensors.
🌐 My First Big Question: How do sensors talk to servers?
With some basic understanding of ESP32, Arduino, and gateways, I started thinking:
- How does sensor data get from the device to a web app?
- Why don’t we question protocols enough as CS students?
I was used to HTTP/HTTPS. But sensors? That was a whole different story.
🔍 Enter MQTT: The Game Changer
While digging deeper, I discovered MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport)—a lightweight messaging protocol perfect for IoT.
Once I understood how it works, the next challenge was configuration.
I wrote the code to handle publishing and subscribing to topics, and learned how devices constantly send data in real time.
⚠️ CaaS Challenges and Broker Setup
I initially ran my server using Node.js and deployed it via CaaS (Container as a Service). But that raised questions:
- What happens if the server goes idle or shuts down due to CaaS policies?
- How is device authentication handled in MQTT?
Turns out, MQTT brokers need usernames and passwords for each device, which isn’t easy to manage with dynamic web apps running in containers.
☁️ My Solution: EMQX + Virtual Machines
So, I searched for an open-source MQTT broker and chose EMQX.
To avoid CaaS limitations, I hosted it on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS VMs, giving me full control.
This hands-on process also introduced me to tools like:
- Azure IoT Hub
- HiveMQ Cloud
- ThingSpeak
✅ The Result: Alpha Connect Hub
After days of deep work and debugging, I finally saw real-time sensor data from an ESP32 device displayed on a secure, session-managed, dashboard-equipped web app.
That app became Alpha Connect Hub—a flexible, scalable system that now forms the foundation for my ongoing exploration of the IoT world.
💡 What I Gained
- Real-world exposure to protocols, deployment, and cloud limitations
- Hands-on understanding of IoT architectures
- The confidence to build and scale real solutions, not just class projects
🎯 This project didn’t just get me marks—it gave me a mission.
🤝 Let’s Connect
I’d love to connect with others exploring IoT, MQTT, full-stack architecture, or real-time systems.
💬 Share your thoughts, suggestions—or just say hi! 👋
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