Skip to main content

Getting Started with Chariot

Chariot is an MQTT server designed for industrial (OT) environments. It provides a messaging layer for exchanging data between edge devices, systems, and applications.

Chariot supports the Sparkplug specification, enabling structured, state-aware MQTT communication.


What Chariot Does​

Chariot acts as a central message server between:

  • Edge devices and gateways
  • SCADA systems and industrial platforms
  • Cloud and enterprise applications

It routes MQTT messages between clients and maintains device state and structure through Sparkplug.


Key Capabilities​

Deployment​

  • Runs as a standalone MQTT server
  • Supports on-premise and cloud deployments
  • Suitable for Unified Namespace (UNS) architectures

Security and Access Control​

  • TLS encryption
  • Username/password authentication
  • LDAP integration
  • Access Control Lists (ACLs) for topic-level permissions

Monitoring and Administration​

  • Web-based interface for system management
  • Visibility into connected clients and sessions
  • Monitoring of MQTT traffic and topic activity

Sparkplug Support​

Chariot includes awareness of Sparkplug topic structure and state management, enabling:

  • Tracking of client state (online/offline)
  • Detection of duplicate Edge Node identifiers
  • Monitoring of birth/death messages
  • Visibility into client configuration and behavior

Chariot Client​

Chariot includes a lightweight MQTT client for testing and troubleshooting.

Use it to:

  • Publish and subscribe to MQTT topics
  • Validate server connectivity
  • Inspect payloads and topic activity
  • Test Sparkplug-compliant messages

For more information, visit the Chariot Client Documentation.