{"slug": "node-red", "name": "Node-RED", "category": "productivity", "category_name": "Productivity", "description": "", "recommenders": 5, "commenters": 8, "warners": 0, "score": 4.605, "rising": -0.64, "first": "2025-11-09", "latest": "2026-09-07", "why": "I'm using it as my daily driver and I have to say - huge improvements all around!", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 6, "neutral": 4, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 2, 1, 0, 1, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "I'm using it as my daily driver and I have to say - huge improvements all around!", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": "nodered.org", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://nodered.org", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Node-RED"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 793573136, "item_id": 49598321, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49598321", "by": "Towaway69", "date": "2026-09-07", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "What revived me was doing visual coding using Node-RED", "excerpt": "What revived me was doing visual coding using Node-RED[1] - remember Yahoo Pipes? Great fun doing stuff \"visually\" by connecting the rectangles with the lines! That brings me joy after 30+ years of typing at the keyboard. In the end though, it's the problem solving that makes this job fun. Minor dopamine hits when a minor thing gets fixed (or some weird bug resolves itself into a 8 bits/1 byte solution!). That's all ", "context": "Developer with 30+ years of experience", "use_case": "Visual flow-based programming", "switched_from": "", "story": "Programming is Art"}, {"id": 784782464, "item_id": 49048904, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49048904", "by": "Towaway69", "date": "2026-07-25", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it's incarnation in Node-RED", "excerpt": "My approach is to start out with a 2D programming environment and once that becomes a general programming environment, to scale that up to 3D and explore how to map 2D to 3D. So first map 1D concepts to 2D and then move on. As a 2D representation, I've been using flow based programming (FBP)[1] and it's incarnation in Node-RED[2]. The trick here is to understand how to use FBP to create more generalistic programs, i.", "context": "", "use_case": "flow-based programming", "switched_from": "", "story": "Spatial languages: Writing code in 2D"}, {"id": 776813088, "item_id": 48550818, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48550818", "by": "KetoManx64", "date": "2026-06-15", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use NodeRed extensively with home assistant", "excerpt": "Workflows that require flow logic. I use NodeRed extensively with home assistant, here's an example of a flow: My front door opens (trigger) > turns lights on, but then also: > wait 3 minutes > check if my or spouse's phone is pingable > if neither phones are pingable then turn off all lights, AC units, and enable house alarm Also another flow that's uses daily: 8:30pm(trigger) > check which house lights are on > any", "context": "", "use_case": "home automation flows", "switched_from": "", "story": "Node-Red 5 Released"}, {"id": 776758768, "item_id": 48547423, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48547423", "by": "kristopherleads", "date": "2026-06-15", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I'm using it as my daily driver and I have to say - huge improvements all around!", "excerpt": "The latest version of Node-RED, Node-RED 5, has released! This release has some pretty big changes - a brand new UI, additional functionality inside of nodes, and new accessibility features. Also a zoom to fit function - meaning a way zoomed-in or zoomed-out workspace can now be centered with proper sizing, which is a godsend for people working across different monitor sizes. Let me know what you think! I'm using it ", "context": "", "use_case": "flow-based automation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Node-Red 5 Released"}, {"id": 753321745, "item_id": 47082609, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47082609", "by": "gerdesj", "date": "2026-02-19", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Nodered is handy for when things get complicated", "excerpt": "I'm pretty close to your approach too. I rather like lights, water features etc just switching themselves on and off as required. I use the UI to go off piste for me only and not for the wife (at home) or employees (at work) HA's automations are getting rather good these days but Nodered is handy for when things get complicated. HA has a very neat Nodered integration maintained by Frenck, who is a HA dev. My general ", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: Micasa \u2013 track your house from the terminal"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "Towaway69", "context": "Developer with 30+ years of experience", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49598321", "date": "2026-09-07"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["home automation flows", "visual flow-based programming", "flow-based programming", "flow-based automation", "meshtastic project flows", "home automation"], "compared": [{"slug": "home-assistant", "name": "Home Assistant", "co": 5, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [{"id": 738378544, "item_id": 46148659, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46148659", "by": "dimitrieh", "date": "2025-12-04", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Node-RED has recently completed an extensive community survey", "excerpt": "Node-RED has recently completed an extensive community survey to better understand how to improve Node-RED together for its users. All results are completely filterable and segment-able so everyone can draw their own conclusions and discuss those. Related Node-RED blogposts that take these results into account: https://nodered.org/blog/2025/12/01/modernization-survey-results https://nodered.org/blog/2025/12/03/node-r", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "The State of Node-RED's User Experience in 2025"}], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48547422", "title": "Node-Red 5 Released", "mentions": 3}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49595360", "title": "Programming is Art", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49007018", "title": "Spatial languages: Writing code in 2D", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47135966", "title": "OpenShopFloor \u2013 A free factory simulation for learning manufacturing AI", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47075124", "title": "Show HN: Micasa \u2013 track your house from the terminal", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47041973", "title": "Building for an audience of one: starting and finishing side projects with AI", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"neutral": 1}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {"neutral": 2}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 2, "neutral": 1}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-07": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 793573136, "item_id": 49598321, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49598321", "by": "Towaway69", "date": "2026-09-07", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "What revived me was doing visual coding using Node-RED", "excerpt": "What revived me was doing visual coding using Node-RED[1] - remember Yahoo Pipes? Great fun doing stuff \"visually\" by connecting the rectangles with the lines! That brings me joy after 30+ years of typing at the keyboard. In the end though, it's the problem solving that makes this job fun. Minor dopamine hits when a minor thing gets fixed (or some weird bug resolves itself into a 8 bits/1 byte solution!). That's all ", "context": "Developer with 30+ years of experience", "use_case": "Visual flow-based programming", "switched_from": "", "story": "Programming is Art"}, {"id": 784782464, "item_id": 49048904, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49048904", "by": "Towaway69", "date": "2026-07-25", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it's incarnation in Node-RED", "excerpt": "My approach is to start out with a 2D programming environment and once that becomes a general programming environment, to scale that up to 3D and explore how to map 2D to 3D. So first map 1D concepts to 2D and then move on. As a 2D representation, I've been using flow based programming (FBP)[1] and it's incarnation in Node-RED[2]. The trick here is to understand how to use FBP to create more generalistic programs, i.", "context": "", "use_case": "flow-based programming", "switched_from": "", "story": "Spatial languages: Writing code in 2D"}, {"id": 776826001, "item_id": 48551625, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48551625", "by": "KetoManx64", "date": "2026-06-16", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I've only uses it with home assistant and virtual logic and communication.", "excerpt": "Not sure about those, I've only uses it with home assistant and virtual logic and communication. The most I use it when it comes to hardware is sending commands to my phones/tablets/laptops to run on/off, open urls, toggle wifi/Bluetooth, etc.", "context": "", "use_case": "home automation flows", "switched_from": "", "story": "Node-Red 5 Released"}, {"id": 776813088, "item_id": 48550818, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48550818", "by": "KetoManx64", "date": "2026-06-15", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use NodeRed extensively with home assistant", "excerpt": "Workflows that require flow logic. I use NodeRed extensively with home assistant, here's an example of a flow: My front door opens (trigger) > turns lights on, but then also: > wait 3 minutes > check if my or spouse's phone is pingable > if neither phones are pingable then turn off all lights, AC units, and enable house alarm Also another flow that's uses daily: 8:30pm(trigger) > check which house lights are on > any", "context": "", "use_case": "home automation flows", "switched_from": "", "story": "Node-Red 5 Released"}, {"id": 776758768, "item_id": 48547423, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48547423", "by": "kristopherleads", "date": "2026-06-15", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I'm using it as my daily driver and I have to say - huge improvements all around!", "excerpt": "The latest version of Node-RED, Node-RED 5, has released! This release has some pretty big changes - a brand new UI, additional functionality inside of nodes, and new accessibility features. Also a zoom to fit function - meaning a way zoomed-in or zoomed-out workspace can now be centered with proper sizing, which is a godsend for people working across different monitor sizes. Let me know what you think! I'm using it ", "context": "", "use_case": "flow-based automation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Node-Red 5 Released"}, {"id": 754175648, "item_id": 47135978, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47135978", "by": "tobiaslante", "date": "2026-02-24", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Build visual AI workflows with a Node-RED-based flow editor", "excerpt": "I built a factory simulation with 30 machines (CNC, injection molding, assembly lines) that runs 24/7 with realistic production schedules, breakdowns, and quality issues. On top of it sits an AI layer with 111 MCP tools. So you can connect any LLM and query ERP, OEE, WMS, QMS, and scheduling data in real time. The idea: Manufacturing AI is hard to learn because you never get access to a real factory. This gives you o", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "OpenShopFloor \u2013 A free factory simulation for learning manufacturing AI"}, {"id": 753321745, "item_id": 47082609, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47082609", "by": "gerdesj", "date": "2026-02-19", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Nodered is handy for when things get complicated", "excerpt": "I'm pretty close to your approach too. I rather like lights, water features etc just switching themselves on and off as required. I use the UI to go off piste for me only and not for the wife (at home) or employees (at work) HA's automations are getting rather good these days but Nodered is handy for when things get complicated. HA has a very neat Nodered integration maintained by Frenck, who is a HA dev. My general ", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: Micasa \u2013 track your house from the terminal"}, {"id": 752736225, "item_id": 47046014, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47046014", "by": "lsp", "date": "2026-02-17", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "https://nodered.org/ is maybe a better fit.", "excerpt": "HomeAssistant is probably doing too much for what you need. Imo it's not a good piece of software. https://nodered.org/ is maybe a better fit. Or just some plain old scripts.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Building for an audience of one: starting and finishing side projects with AI"}, {"id": 745470706, "item_id": 46591919, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46591919", "by": "linker3000", "date": "2026-01-12", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I tried this with Node-RED for a Meshtastic project (MeshBop)", "excerpt": "I tried this with Node-RED for a Meshtastic project (MeshBop), but experienced occasional timeouts even when only making a handful of calls per hour. In the end I moved to Met Norway's API for UK/EU weather.", "context": "", "use_case": "Meshtastic project flows", "switched_from": "", "story": "Open-Meteo is a free and open-source weather API for non-commercial use"}, {"id": 744161713, "item_id": 46510107, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46510107", "by": "Towaway69", "date": "2026-01-06", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "visual programming using Node-RED", "excerpt": "Having spent a log of time with visual programming and having also loved yahoo pipes, for me, it's time to find a new paradigm. Last year, I came up with Breadboard Programming[1] which is visual programming using Node-RED but with a different perspective, that of a breadboard[2]. The point is take another perspective on programming and to find new parallels to how electronics are created using breadboards. Breadboar", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Pipe Dreams \u2013 The life and times of Yahoo Pipes (2023)"}, {"id": 733910736, "item_id": 45869421, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45869421", "by": "skittleson", "date": "2025-11-09", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Moved from nodered only to a hybrid of nodered and home assistant.", "excerpt": "Moved from nodered only to a hybrid of nodered and home assistant. Added some new sensors, nfc tags, modes and automations for multiple tenants / cost savings. Its been fun to automate some boring tasks.", "context": "", "use_case": "home automation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (Nov 2025)"}]}