Step 3: Install and Configure the Web Server

To serve Node-RED remotely via Dataplicity, you’ll need a web server. We’ll use Nginx for this purpose.

Install Nginx

Install the Nginx web server with the following command:

sudo apt install -y nginx

Configure the Web Server

Edit the Nginx configuration to create a proxy for Node-RED:

Open the Nginx configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default

Inside the server block, add the following lines to proxy requests to Node-RED:

location / {
    proxy_pass http://localhost:1880;
    proxy_set_header Host $host;
    proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
}

Save and exit (Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X).

Restart Nginx

To apply the changes, restart Nginx with the following command:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 4: Install Node-RED

Node-RED is the backbone of your automation projects, and we’ll install it now.

Run the Installation Command

To install Node-RED, run the following command:

bash <(curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/node-red/linux-installers/master/deb/update-nodejs-and-nodered)

Enable Node-RED to Start on Boot

To make sure Node-RED starts automatically on boot, run:

sudo systemctl enable nodered.service

Start Node-RED

Launch Node-RED with the command:

node-red-start

Access Node-RED Locally

You can access Node-RED locally by navigating to:

http://pi-local-ip-address:1880

Step 5: Access Node-RED Remotely via Dataplicity

Now that everything is set up, let’s access Node-RED remotely using Dataplicity.

Enable the Wormhole

In your Dataplicity dashboard, enable the Wormhole feature. This will provide you with a URL to access your Raspberry Pi remotely.