How to package node-red subflows into a dedicated Node-Red Docker Container?

Shan · 25 April 2022 09:29

I have created a subflow for the standard mqtt in and mqtt out nodes which sets the broker address accordingly (docker container names of the MQTT broker) and is made available for the use in the node pallete.

The node pallete looks as follows:

The subflow is very simple, it is just a wrapper around the mqtt in and mqtt out nodes but the mqtt properties are configured to the broker address instead of localhost

Internal MQTT In Node

Internal MQTT Out Node

Documentation for Subflows

Based on the documentation provided by Packaging a Subflow as a module : Node-RED
I did the following steps:

export the subflow as JSON file (example only of Internal MQTT Out Node)

 [{"id":"be86292c6d08f0da","type":"subflow","name":"Internal MQTT Out","info":"","category":"","in":[{"x":340,"y":140,"wires":[{"id":"b122f18e514d14f9"}]}],"out":[],"env":[],"meta":{},"color":"#C0DEED","icon":"node-red/bridge.svg"},{"id":"b122f18e514d14f9","type":"mqtt out","z":"be86292c6d08f0da","name":"Internal MQTT Broker","topic":"","qos":"","retain":"","respTopic":"","contentType":"","userProps":"","correl":"","expiry":"","broker":"dbd22c0713b05ef6","x":560,"y":140,"wires":[]},{"id":"dbd22c0713b05ef6","type":"mqtt-broker","z":"be86292c6d08f0da","name": "Internal MQTT Broker","broker":"internal-mqtt-broker","port":"1883","clientid":"node-red-mqtt-internal-out","autoConnect":true,"usetls":false,"protocolVersion":"4","keepalive":"60","cleansession":true,"birthTopic":"","birthQos":"0","birthPayload":"","birthMsg":{},"closeTopic":"","closeQos":"0","closePayload":"","closeMsg":{},"willTopic":"","willQos":"0","willPayload":"","willMsg":{},"sessionExpiry":""}]

As the documentation suggests, I packed the dedicate nodes namely, "type": mqtt-out and "type": "mqtt-broker into to "type": "subflow" under an array called flow: []

Altered JSON File after Step 2

[
    {
        "id": "be86292c6d08f0da",
        "type": "subflow",
        "name": "Internal MQTT Out",
        "info": "",
        "category": "",
        "in": [
            {
                "x": 340,
                "y": 140,
                "wires": [
                    {
                        "id": "b122f18e514d14f9"
                    }
                ]
            }
        ],
        "out": [],
        "env": [],
        "meta": {},
        "color": "#C0DEED",
        "icon": "node-red/bridge.svg",
        "flow": [
            {
                "id": "b122f18e514d14f9",
                "type": "mqtt out",
                "z": "be86292c6d08f0da",
                "name": "Internal MQTT Broker",
                "topic": "",
                "qos": "",
                "retain": "",
                "respTopic": "",
                "contentType": "",
                "userProps": "",
                "correl": "",
                "expiry": "",
                "broker": "dbd22c0713b05ef6",
                "x": 560,
                "y": 140,
                "wires": []
            },
            {
                "id": "dbd22c0713b05ef6",
                "type": "mqtt-broker",
                "z": "be86292c6d08f0da",
                "name": "Internal MQTT Broker",
                "broker": "internal-mqtt-broker",
                "port": "1883",
                "clientid": "node-red-mqtt-internal-out",
                "autoConnect": true,
                "usetls": false,
                "protocolVersion": "4",
                "keepalive": "60",
                "cleansession": true,
                "birthTopic": "",
                "birthQos": "0",
                "birthPayload": "",
                "birthMsg": {},
                "closeTopic": "",
                "closeQos": "0",
                "closePayload": "",
                "closeMsg": {},
                "willTopic": "",
                "willQos": "0",
                "willPayload": "",
                "willMsg": {},
                "sessionExpiry": ""
            }
        ]
    }
]

Project file structure

.
├── Dockerfile
├── README.md
├── package.json
└── subflows
    └── mqtt
        ├── custom-mqtt-internal-in.js
        ├── custom-mqtt-internal-in.json
        ├── custom-mqtt-internal-out.js
        └── custom-mqtt-internal-out.json

`package.json`

{
    "name": "node-red-custom-subflow",
    "version": "0.1.0",
    "description": "Node-RED package developed with subflows",
    "dependencies": {
        "node-red": ">=2.2.0"
    },
    "keywords": ["node-red", "mqtt"],
    "node-red": {
        "version": ">=2.2.0",
        "nodes": {
            "custom-mqtt-internal-in": "subflows/mqtt/custom-mqtt-internal-in.js",
            "custom-mqtt-internal-out": "subflows/mqtt/custom-mqtt-internal-out.js",
        }
    },
    "scripts": {
        "start": "node $NODE_OPTIONS node_modules/node-red/red.js $FLOWS --userDir=/data"
    }
}

Question

I wish to create a custom node-red Docker image with these subflows available in the node pallete. I am unable to figure out where should the subflows directory copied in the Container image to make it available for the final image?

`Dockerfile`

FROM nodered/node-red:2.2.2

WORKDIR /usr/src/node-red

## Maybe already create a directory in `node_modules`?
RUN mkdir -p /usr/src/node-red/node_modules/node-red-custom-subflow/subflows/mqtt

COPY subflows/* /usr/src/node-red/node_modules/node-red-custom-subflows/subflows/mqtt

## Do I need to copy it also in /data?
COPY subflows /data

COPY package.json .

RUN npm install --unsafe-perm \
                --no-update-notifier \
                --no-fund \
                --only=production

CMD [ "npm", "start" ]

I tried building this image using docker build -t custom-node-red-subflow:latest . and docker run -p 1990:1880 custom-node-red-subflow:latest however the nodes are not available in the palette.

Help would be appreciated.

knolleary · 25 April 2022 12:56

Your subflow JSON is not quite right - you still have the subflow node wrapped in an array.

It should be:

{
    "id": "be86292c6d08f0da",
    "type": "subflow",
    ...
    "flow": [
        { ... },
        { ... },
        { ... }
    ]
}

Shan · 25 April 2022 13:01

Ah! That was not clear to me. I will keep you updated on the post. Any chance the docs team might be open for a better Documentation of the development workflow for subflows?

I have been able to figure out now how to provide subflows in Docker, (if you might not know I also posted a tutorial [Tutorial] How to create a custom Node-Red Docker Image and conduct Integration Testing using Docker-Compose previously)

I could do a simple Subflow and provide step by step implementation and maybe it might make things a tad-bit clearer.

knolleary · 25 April 2022 13:03

As an open source project, we are reliant on contributions from the community to help improve things. There is no dedicated docs team. PRs are always welcome. The page in question is here:

github.com

node-red/node-red.github.io/blob/master/docs/creating-nodes/packaging-subflows.md

---
layout: docs-creating-nodes
toc: toc-creating-nodes.html
title: Packaging Subflows
slug: packaging subflows
---

Since Node-RED 1.3 it is possible to package a Subflow as a node module and publish
it to npm.

When it gets loaded into the Editor it appears just like any other node - the
internal details of the subflow are not exposed to the user.

This guide explains how to export a Subflow from the editor, convert its JSON
into the required format and then package it as an npm module.


### Creating a subflow

### Adding meta-data to the subflow

This file has been truncated. show original

system · 9 May 2022 13:04

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How to package node-red subflows into a dedicated Node-Red Docker Container?

Documentation for Subflows

Project file structure

package.json

Question

Dockerfile

Related topics

`package.json`

`Dockerfile`