Azure IoT Device Provisioning Service

Overview

Getting Started

Key Concepts

Tutorials

API Reference

Azure IoT Hub Device Provisioning Service (DPS)

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. It allows you to securely provision devices to the right IoT hub without manual intervention. DPS handles the connection of new devices to an IoT hub, and assigns them to the correct hub based on the desired provisioning flow.

What is Device Provisioning?

Device provisioning is the process of getting devices ready to connect to your IoT solution. This involves securely registering devices, assigning them to an IoT hub, and configuring their initial settings. DPS automates and simplifies this process for large-scale IoT deployments.

Key Features

✓Zero-Touch Provisioning: Devices can provision themselves automatically upon first boot.
✓Secure Authentication: Supports multiple authentication methods including X.509 certificates and TPM.
✓Customizable Provisioning Flows: Define how devices are registered and assigned to IoT Hubs.
✓Cross-Hub Load Balancing: Distribute devices across multiple IoT Hub instances.
✓Scalability: Designed to handle millions of devices.

Ready to get started? Explore our step-by-step guides and tutorials to provision your first IoT devices with DPS.

Go to Getting Started

Getting Started with DPS

Follow these steps to set up and use the Device Provisioning Service for your IoT solutions.

Step 1: Create a DPS Instance

You can create a DPS instance through the Azure portal. This involves selecting your subscription, resource group, and a unique name for your DPS resource.

Step 2: Link IoT Hub(s)

Connect your IoT Hub instances to your DPS resource. This allows DPS to assign devices to your hubs.

Linking IoT Hubs to DPS

Step 3: Create Enrollment Entries

Enrollment entries define how devices are provisioned. You can create enrollments for individual devices (individual enrollments) or for groups of devices (enrollment groups).

Step 4: Device SDK Integration

Integrate the Azure IoT SDKs into your device firmware or application to connect to DPS and initiate the provisioning process.

Key Concepts of DPS

Understand the core components and concepts behind the Device Provisioning Service.

Enrollment Entries

Enrollment entries are metadata that inform DPS how to provision a device. There are two main types:

Individual Enrollments: Used for provisioning a single device. Requires a unique device identifier.
Enrollment Groups: Used for provisioning multiple devices with similar characteristics. Can be based on symmetric keys or X.509 certificates.

Attestation Mechanisms

DPS supports various methods for authenticating devices:

Symmetric Key: The simplest method, where a shared secret key is used for authentication.
X.509 Certificate: Devices present a client certificate signed by a trusted root or intermediate CA.
TPM (Trusted Platform Module): Leverages hardware security modules on devices for secure key storage and attestation.

Provisioning Scenarios

DPS supports different provisioning flows based on your needs:

Linked IoT Hubs: Devices are assigned to one or more IoT Hubs linked to the DPS instance.
Manual Failover: Allows manual intervention in case of issues.
Lowest Latency: Assigns devices to the IoT Hub with the lowest network latency.

Tutorials and How-Tos

Follow these practical guides to implement device provisioning in your IoT projects.

API Reference and SDKs

Access detailed information on the DPS APIs and the available SDKs for various programming languages.

Azure IoT Documentation