SparklerNet

Project Introduction

SparklerNet is an open-source Sparkplug Client Library for .NET 9.0+ that implements the Eclipse Sparkplug B Specification. Built on top of MQTTnet, a robust open-source MQTT client library, SparklerNet currently provides a complete implementation of the Host Application role, enabling .NET applications to seamlessly participate in Sparkplug-enabled IoT and Industrial IoT (IIoT) ecosystems.

The library aims to fully implement the complete Sparkplug protocol, with planned future support for Edge Node and Device roles. Sparkplug B itself is an open-source software specification designed to enhance interoperability in intelligent manufacturing and Industrial IoT, providing context for Operational Technology (OT) data to enable bidirectional seamless integration with Information Technology (IT).

Core Features

• Complete Sparkplug B Host Application Implementation: Enables receiving data from multiple Sparkplug B Edge Nodes and sending commands to control outputs on Edge Nodes and Devices
• Comprehensive Message Type Support: Full implementation of all Sparkplug B message types (NBIRTH, NDEATH, NDATA, DBIRTH, DDEATH, DDATA, NCMD, DCMD, and STATE)
• Event-Driven Architecture: Provides asynchronous event handlers for processing all types of Sparkplug messages
• Protobuf Message Serialization: Leverages Google.Protobuf for efficient binary data processing according to the Sparkplug specification
• MQTT 3.1.1 and 5.0 Support: Compatible with both MQTT protocol versions with proper session handling
• Flexible Logging: Built on Microsoft.Extensions.Logging for integration with various logging frameworks

System Requirements

• .NET 9.0 SDK or later
• MQTT protocol-compatible message broker (e.g., Mosquitto, HiveMQ)

Roadmap

Core Functionality

• ✅ Connection to MQTT brokers v3.1.1 or v5.0
• ✅ Connection using TCP, TCP+TLS and WebSockets
• ✅ Support for Sparkplug B data types (Int8/16/32/64, UInt8/16/32/64, Float, Double, Boolean, String, DateTime, Text, UUID, DataSet, Bytes, File, Template, PropertySet, PropertySetList)
• ✅ Support for Sparkplug B array data types (Int8Array, Int16Array, Int32Array, Int64Array, UInt8Array, UInt16Array, UInt32Array, UInt64Array, FloatArray, DoubleArray, BooleanArray, StringArray, DateTimeArray)

Host Application

• ✅ Sparkplug-compliant Will message
• ✅ STATE message publishing (Birth/Death certificates)
• ✅ Default wildcard topic support (spBv1.0/#)
• ✅ Specific group and edge node subscription support
• ✅ Sparkplug Host Application Message Ordering
• ✅ Cache Edge Node and Device online status

Message Processing

• ✅ Edge Node message handling (NBIRTH, NDEATH, NDATA)
• ✅ Device message handling (DBIRTH, DDEATH, DDATA)
• ✅ STATE message handling
• ✅ Error or unsupported message handling

Command Capabilities

• ✅ Edge Node command publishing (NCMD)
• ✅ Device command publishing (DCMD)

Event Notification System

• ✅ Comprehensive event model for all message types
• ✅ Connected/Disconnected events
• ✅ Error and unsupported message events

Message Validation

• ✅ Host Application ID validation
• ✅ Group ID, Edge Node ID and Device ID validation

Additional Features

• ⬜ Reconnection logic with exponential backoff
• ✅ Configuration validation

Eclipse™ Sparkplug™ TCK Compatibility

The following are the compatibility test results against the Eclipse Sparkplug Test Compatibility Kit (TCK) available at https://github.com/eclipse-sparkplug/sparkplug/tree/master/tck:

Host Application Tests

Test	Status
Session Establishment Test	✅ Passed
Session Termination Test	✅ Passed
Send Command Test	✅ Passed
Edge Session Termination Test	✅ Passed
Message Ordering Test	✅ Passed
Multiple MQTT Server (Broker) Test	❌ Not supported yet

Installation

Install SparklerNet via NuGet Package Manager:

dotnet add package SparklerNet

Or reference it directly in your project:

<ItemGroup>
  <PackageReference Include="SparklerNet" Version="0.9.*" />
</ItemGroup>

Quick Start

Here's a simple example of a Sparkplug host application:

using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using MQTTnet;
using SparklerNet.Core.Constants;
using SparklerNet.Core.Events;
using SparklerNet.HostApplication;
using SparklerNet.HostApplication.Caches;
using SparklerNet.HostApplication.Extensions;

// Create MQTT client options
var mqttOptions = new MqttClientOptionsBuilder()
    .WithTcpServer("localhost", 1883)
    .WithProtocolVersion(MqttProtocolVersion.V500)
    .Build();

// Create Sparkplug client options
var sparkplugOptions = new SparkplugClientOptions
{
    Version = SparkplugVersion.V300,
    HostApplicationId = "MyHostApplication"
};

// Create the logger factory
using var loggerFactory = LoggerFactory.Create(builder =>
{
    builder.AddConsole();
    builder.SetMinimumLevel(LogLevel.Information);
});

// Create the dependency injection container
var services = new ServiceCollection();

// Register the singleton services
services.AddSingleton(mqttOptions);
services.AddSingleton(sparkplugOptions);
services.AddSingleton(loggerFactory);
services.AddSingleton<ILoggerFactory>(loggerFactory);

// Register cache services
services.AddMemoryCache();
services.AddHybridCache();

// Register the SparklerNet services
services.AddSingleton<IMessageOrderingService, MessageOrderingService>();
services.AddSingleton<IStatusTrackingService, StatusTrackingService>();
services.AddSingleton<SparkplugHostApplication>();

// Build service provider
var serviceProvider = services.BuildServiceProvider();

// Resolve SparkplugHostApplication from the container
var hostApplication = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<SparkplugHostApplication>();

// Subscribe to DBIRTH event
hostApplication.DeviceBirthReceivedAsync += args => {
    Console.WriteLine($"Received DBIRTH message from Group={args.GroupId}, Node={args.EdgeNodeId}, Device={args.DeviceId}");
    // Device birth message can be processed here
    return Task.CompletedTask;
};

// Start the application
await hostApplication.StartAsync();

// Example of sending a Device Rebirth command using the extension method
await hostApplication.PublishDeviceRebirthCommandAsync("myGroup", "myEdgeNode", "myDevice");

// Stop the application
await hostApplication.StopAsync();

Sample Application

The project includes a sample named SimpleHostApplication demonstrating a complete Sparkplug Host Application implementation with these core features:

• Interactive CLI: User-friendly console interface for application lifecycle management and command sending
• Full Event Processing: Handles all Sparkplug message types with detailed data display
• Command Capabilities: Sends Rebirth and ScanRate commands to Edge Nodes (NCMD) and Devices (DCMD)
• Configuration Profiles: Supports multiple profiles (mimic, tck) via --profile command line argument
• Dependency Injection: Uses Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection for service management
• Structured Logging: Implements Serilog for detailed message and processing logging

Refer to the SparklerNet.Samples project for the complete implementation.

Project Structure

├── .gitattributes          # Git attributes file
├── .github/                # GitHub configuration files
│   └── workflows/          # GitHub Actions workflows
├── .gitignore              # Git ignore file
├── GIT_FLOW.md             # Git Flow workflow documentation
├── LICENSE                 # License file
├── README.md               # Project documentation
├── SparklerNet/            # Core library
│   ├── Core/               # Core functionality implementation
│   │   ├── Constants/      # Constant definitions
│   │   ├── Events/         # Event definitions
│   │   ├── Extensions/     # Extension methods
│   │   ├── Model/          # Data models
│   │   ├── Options/        # Configuration options
│   │   ├── Protobuf/       # Protobuf message definitions
│   │   └── Topics/         # Topic handling
│   ├── HostApplication/    # Host application implementation
│   │   ├── Caches/         # Caching mechanisms
│   │   ├── Extensions/     # Host application extension methods
│   │   └── SparkplugHostApplication.cs # Main host application class
│   ├── Properties/         # Assembly properties
│   │   └── AssemblyInfo.cs # Assembly information
│   └── SparklerNet.csproj  # Core library project file
├── SparklerNet.Samples/    # Sample application
│   ├── Profiles/           # Configuration profiles
│   │   ├── IProfile.cs     # Profile interface
│   │   ├── MimicApplicationProfile.cs # Mimic application profile
│   │   └── TCKApplicationProfile.cs # TCK application profile
│   ├── Program.cs          # Sample program entry point
│   ├── SimpleHostApplication.cs # Simple host application implementation
│   └── SparklerNet.Samples.csproj # Sample project file
├── SparklerNet.Tests/      # Unit tests
│   ├── Core/               # Core functionality tests
│   │   ├── Constants/      # Constant tests
│   │   ├── Extensions/     # Extension method tests
│   │   ├── Model/          # Model tests
│   │   └── Topics/         # Topic tests
│   ├── HostApplication/    # Host application tests
│   │   └── Caches/         # Cache mechanism tests
│   └── SparklerNet.Tests.csproj # Test project file
├── SparklerNet.sln         # Solution file
└── SparklerNet.sln.DotSettings # ReSharper settings

Supported Sparkplug B Message Types

SparklerNet supports the following Sparkplug B message types:

• NBIRTH: Message sent when an edge node starts up
• NDEATH: Message sent when an edge node shuts down
• NDATA: Edge node data message
• DBIRTH: Message sent when a device starts up
• DDEATH: Message sent when a device shuts down
• DDATA: Device data message
• NCMD: Edge node command
• DCMD: Device command
• STATE: Host application state message

Dependencies

• Google.Protobuf (3.33.0)
• Microsoft.Extensions.Caching.Hybrid (9.10.0)
• Microsoft.Extensions.Caching.Memory (9.0.10)
• Microsoft.Extensions.Logging (9.0.10)
• MQTTnet (5.0.1.1416)
• System.Net.Http (4.3.4)
• System.Text.RegularExpressions (4.3.1)

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.