Azure IoT Documentation

Welcome to the comprehensive documentation for Azure Internet of Things (IoT). Explore services, tools, and guides to build, deploy, and manage your IoT solutions on Microsoft Azure.

What is Azure IoT?

Azure IoT provides a broad set of integrated cloud solutions and services that help you connect, monitor, and manage your Internet of Things (IoT) devices. These services enable you to ingest massive amounts of data from your devices, analyze it, and then take action based on those insights.

Key benefits include:

  • Scalability: Effortlessly manage millions of devices.
  • Security: End-to-end security for devices and data.
  • Interoperability: Connect diverse devices and protocols.
  • Advanced Analytics: Leverage AI and machine learning for insights.
  • Global Reach: Deploy solutions worldwide.

Getting Started with Azure IoT

Begin your IoT journey with these essential steps:

  1. Create an Azure Account: If you don't have one, sign up for a free Azure account.
  2. Choose your IoT Service: Select the best service for your needs, such as IoT Hub for direct device-to-cloud communication or IoT Central for a managed SaaS solution.
  3. Provision a Device: Learn how to register and authenticate your devices.
  4. Develop your Application: Use Azure IoT SDKs to send telemetry and receive commands.

Explore our quickstart guides for a hands-on experience:

Azure IoT Core Services

Azure IoT Hub

Azure IoT Hub is a fully managed service that enables secure and reliable bi-directional communications between your IoT applications and the devices they manage. It acts as a central message hub for IoT solutions, allowing you to ingest telemetry from devices, send commands to devices, and manage device identity and security.

Key features:

  • Device-to-cloud and cloud-to-device messaging
  • Device identity registry
  • Device management capabilities
  • Integration with other Azure services (Stream Analytics, Functions, etc.)

Learn more in the IoT Hub documentation.

Azure IoT Central

Azure IoT Central is a fully managed IoT software-as-a-service (SaaS) application platform that enables you to easily connect, monitor, and control your IoT devices. It provides a rich set of pre-built templates and features for common IoT scenarios, reducing the complexity and cost of building IoT solutions.

Key features:

  • Device templates and modeling
  • Data visualization and dashboards
  • Rule-based alerting and actions
  • Device management and maintenance
  • Customizable application workflows

Get started with IoT Central.

Azure IoT Device Provisioning Service

The Azure IoT Hub Device Provisioning Service (DPS) is a helper service for IoT Hub that enables zero-touch, just-in-time provisioning of devices. DPS allows you to securely provision devices to the correct IoT hub without manual intervention. It supports multiple provisioning methods, including symmetric keys, X.509 certificates, and TPM-based attestation.

Explore DPS capabilities.

Device Development

Develop device applications using a variety of languages and platforms. Azure IoT SDKs are available for popular languages such as C, C#, Python, and Java.

Supported SDKs:

  • C SDK: Lightweight and suitable for resource-constrained devices.
  • C# SDK: For .NET applications.
  • Python SDK: Flexible and easy to use for Python developers.
  • Java SDK: For Java-based applications.
  • Node.js SDK: For JavaScript/Node.js environments.

Find the latest SDKs and samples on our developer portal.

Designing Your IoT Solution Architecture

Building a robust IoT solution requires careful consideration of architecture. Azure offers various services that can be combined to create scalable, secure, and cost-effective solutions.

Common Architecture Patterns:

  • Device-to-cloud telemetry: Devices send data to Azure.
  • Cloud-to-device commands: Applications send commands to devices.
  • Device twins: Maintain state and desired properties for devices.
  • Background processing: Use Azure Functions, Stream Analytics, or Azure Databricks for real-time data processing and analytics.
  • Data storage: Store telemetry in Azure Blob Storage, Azure SQL Database, or Azure Cosmos DB.

View reference architectures for common IoT scenarios.

IoT Security Best Practices

Security is paramount in IoT. Azure provides built-in security features and recommendations to protect your devices, data, and applications.

Key Security Considerations:

  • Device authentication and authorization: Ensure only legitimate devices can connect.
  • Data encryption: Encrypt data in transit and at rest.
  • Secure device provisioning: Use DPS for secure onboarding.
  • Network security: Configure firewalls and virtual networks.
  • Regular updates and patching: Keep device firmware and software up-to-date.

Dive deeper into IoT security.

Tutorials and Samples

Walk through practical tutorials and explore code samples to implement various IoT features.

Monitor temperature with IoT Hub and Power BI

Learn to visualize real-time data from your devices.

View Tutorial

Control a simulated device with Azure Functions

Implement cloud-to-device communication patterns.

View Tutorial

Provision devices at scale using DPS

Automate the enrollment of new devices.

View Tutorial

SDK Reference

Detailed API documentation for the Azure IoT SDKs is available to help you understand and utilize the full capabilities of each library.