Hi Dears,
I will install a node-red for automatic data collect in a Linux Desktop. What is the most recommended version of Linux to download and use with node-red ?
Thanks,
Roberto
Any recommendation will mostly be down to individual preference. I use Ubuntu on desktops and Pi OS on PIs. Many use Debian (which is the basis for both Ubuntu and Pi OS). If you are going to use PIs then use Pi OS on that and Debian/Ubuntu or another Debian derivative on any other machines since then the systems will all be very similar.
Installation on any Debian based system is easy using the recommended script which is headed for the PI but also works well on other Debian systems. Another advantage of a Debian based system is that most Linux users here use one of those so support here should be reliable.
Hi Colin,
Thanks for your attention! The device will not be a raspberry, but a desktop with 8GB RAM and 500Gb of disk. Can Debian be used on this computer too? Could you recommend me a link where I can download it?
Best regards,
Roberto
Yes of course. Why do you want to use Debian rather than Ubuntu?
Your favourite search engine will find downloads for you quicker than me searching for you.
So Colin I'm going to use Ubuntu Version 24.04 LTS, which I already have the link to download. It's a good version for node-red, right?
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on desktop I prefer Linux Mint, but that's a matter of taste and doesn't matter for Node-Red.
on my 24/7 unraid, I use virtual machine with ubuntu server minimal, but I could also use node-red docker version, just one klick - finish.
Hi Becker,
I saw the website and found Linux Mint interesting, mainly because it is oriented towards desktops. Maybe I'll use this one instead Ubuntu. And does it work well for node-red?
Thanks
I use Debian on my home automation server which is an old Lenovo laptop with 8GB RAM, 512GB HDD. You can simply get the x64 version from the Debian website.
Debian is simpler and more stable. It makes (in my opinion) for a much sounder server choice.
I've always ended up regretting it if I deployed Ubuntu for anything - including in WSL on Windows where I also use Debian. And the main Raspberry Pi OS's are also Debian based.
@bobfield If you have not already, swap the HDD and get yourself a SSD before you start
I use Ubuntu minimal install with Docker and Portainer on cheap laptops for several years now and have had no issues
Based on the amount of docker containers and apps you are using with the containers, the 8GB should be enough for most applications.
My main setup is 16GB ram system, with a 500GB SSD which is running my NR, Zigbee and MSSQL server
My development system is 8GB ram with 256GB SSD running NR-dev and a few other services
All my data from NR and the MSSQL are stored on my NAS.
As mentioned by @Colin the choice of linux is based on your personal preference, but in general it performs more reliable as RPi or Windows (in my experience with both 
)
Key learnings:
- Use a decent laptop
- -- I dont care a broken/damaged screen or keyboard as I operate remotely via SSH or Portainer
- -- but it is important that the battery can last at least 1h so you can shutdown your system in case of power-outage
- Use a linux version you prefer (I recommend to use CLI version only to save on resources)
- Use a SSD for your local data
- Use docker
- Use SSH for remote access (keep the machines running in a shelf with sufficient ventilation)
- User Portainer (or other docker manager) to simplify daily activities remotely
- Use WebMin if you need to configure system resources and not familiar with all CLI commands
- Use a PROD or Main laptop (or at least docker) where you run your stable NR automation and respective services
- Use a DEV environment (docker or separate laptop) for NR an other apps so you can test new components and automation enhancements
I have a NUC running NodeRed and Home Assistant on Linux Mint for at least 3 years now. Works very well.
yeah NUC are nice machines as well, I just prefer used laptops as they are cheap and provide a battery support in case of power outage
My key learnings:
- dont use docker
I have ran node-red under alpine, ubuntu, debian, macos and multiple versions for all of them, node-red does not really seem to care, pretty much runs everywhere.
Docker may be tempting, but at the moment you need to interface with the OS and/or hardware on the host or use nodes that require specific compiling, docker may come back to bite you.
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Since the OP wants a Linux with desktop probably neither a Raspberry Pi nor a broken laptop is ideal.
But I'm interested that you find a broken & upcycled laptop more reliable than a Pi.
Since I switched from ÎĽSD to SSD mine has never failed, and whether in a network cabinet or on a bookshelf at home, it's much less likely to be "tidied away since it's clearly broken".
Have you had bad experiences, perhaps from interacting with the GPIO pins?
Laptops do of course have the valuable feature of a built-in UPS.
That is a higher spec than is needed for typical home automation, particularly if using a headless server. I use an old Lenovo Thinkpad running node-red, influxdb, mysql, grafana, mosquitto, webtrees, and plex server. It has 4GB of RAM (currently about 2.5 GB in use), and a 170GB spinning disk which is 60% used. Though I do have an external usb disk for the plex media data. A spinning disc is perfectly adequate for a headless server, the main advantage of SSD is for response to a user loading software.
Hi Dears,
I would like to thank everyone who contributed very important information to me.
The use of node-red will be to perform the automatic collect of a MES system developed by my company (www.easybatch.com.br - today the site is only in Portuguese). It is a simple task, reading tags from PLCs and sending them for a sql table in the cloud. The customer purchased a desktop with SSD for this.
I understood from the answers that both Ubuntu, Linux Mint or Debian are good choices, and Node-Red works well with all of them. So I will decide on one of these operating systems.
Thank you very much everyone,
Roberto
I see a lot of people advising this. But in truth, HDD's are generally cheaper and roughly equivalent in reliability, certainly over a longer period. Any HDD that has survived the first month of use is likely to last for years.
Also, reliability of SSD's is highly dependent on using good quality SSD's. There are lots of cheap SSD's that are certainly far from reliable.
While this may be ideal for larger scale or commercial environments. For home use, the nature of Node-RED being a node.js app means that it is very trivial to have multiple independent instances running in parallel without the management overheads of running Docker.
@TotallyInformation I agree on HDD vs SSD however as I had to replace the HD I went straight to SSD and had good experience so far
@TotallyInformation and @Colin Yes, my PROD system is a bit overkill but I had a spare laptop
Dears,
The last and objective question. The client decided use the Ubuntu Linux. However, the dowload site offers two versions to desktop.One dedicated to desktop (Ubuntu Desktop) and another ( Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS) also including desktop. Wich version can I use?
Thanks,
Roberto
Use the LTS version (Long Term Support), which is guaranteed to be supported for 5 years (I think it is 5). The LTS versions are released every two years in April, so 20.04, 22.04, 24.04 etc. The intermediate releases are every six months, so current one is 24.10, then there will be 23.04 and 23.10. They are only supported for a few months after the next release appears so to use one of those you have to be prepared to upgrade every 6 months.
When installing I suggest keeping the Windows install so you can dual boot into either Windows or Ubuntu. Often it is simpler to update the system UEFI/BIOS from Windows rather than Ubuntu. Also check the machine is already running the latest UEFI/BIOS before you start.
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