Tools for makers · Cloud and apps
Adafruit IO
A free cloud service for makers: send sensor values to feeds and build a dashboard with gauges, charts and switches that works in any browser.
- 1 lesson
What it is for
Adafruit IO stores the values your ESP32 sends in feeds and shows them on dashboards that you build from drag-and-drop blocks: gauges, line charts, toggles and sliders. The dashboard works in any browser, so you can check your project from a phone or a school computer.
It talks to your device with MQTT, so a toggle on the dashboard reaches the ESP32 within a second. Actions can also email you when a value goes above a limit.
The free plan is enough for our lessons: 30 values a minute, kept for 30 days. Adafruit IO is for ages 13 and up; younger makers can ask a parent or teacher to create the account.
Tips
- Keep your Adafruit IO key private: it is the password for your feeds.
- Send a value every 10 to 30 seconds to stay well inside the free limit.
- Use port 8883 for an encrypted connection.
- Make a dashboard public only if it shows nothing private.