Technology overview

Now that we know what IoT is, we can start defining the technology stack. In this book, we will build a generic framework using JavaScript for developing IoT applications.

We will follow the approach of cloud computing, where we have a bunch of devices that are connected to the cloud, compared to a fog computing approach, where there is a gateway that can do almost all the things a cloud can but is locally available in the on-premises.

Our smart devices will be powered by Raspberry Pi 3, which has the ability to talk to the cloud over Wi-Fi and also, using its GPIO pins, talk to the sensors and actuators. Using this simple piece of hardware, we will connect sensors and actuators and build some real-world solutions in this book.

Another alternative to Raspberry Pi 3 is Raspberry Pi Zero W, which is a miniature version of Raspberry Pi 3, in case you are looking to build a compact solution.

We will walk through each piece of technology in Chapter 2, IoTFW.js - I and Chapter 3, IoTFW.js - II, and from there on use these technologies to build IoT solutions in various domains.