The Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the way devices communicate with each other. One popular way to connect IoT devices is through MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport). It is a lightweight messaging protocol designed for fast and reliable communication.
In this tutorial, we will learn how to use MQTTX. It is a powerful and user-friendly MQTT client. Our goal is to connect with AWS IoT Core. AWS IoT Core is a cloud platform that allows IoT devices to send and receive data securely. By the end of this guide, you will be able to set up AWS IoT Core, configure MQTTX, and successfully publish and subscribe to MQTT topics.
MQTTX is an essential tool for developers working with MQTT-based IoT applications. It provides a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to test, debug, and monitor MQTT communication without writing a single line of code. With its cross-platform compatibility, support for multiple connections, and advanced features like JSON formatting and message history, MQTTX simplifies the process of connecting to brokers like AWS IoT Core. It also helps developers quickly identify connection issues, experiment with different topics, and ensure their IoT devices communicate efficiently. Whether you’re a beginner learning MQTT or an advanced user optimizing IoT deployments, MQTTX is a must-have tool for seamless MQTT testing and development.
What we are going to cover up in this Tutorial?
- Setting up AWS IoT Core – Creating a thing, generating certificates, and configuring policies.
- Connecting MQTTX to AWS IoT Core – Using the correct endpoint, port, and authentication.
- Publishing and Subscribing to Topics – Sending test messages and verifying responses.
Setting up AWS IoT Core
Login to https://console.aws.amazon.com/ and search for “IoT Core” from the console search tab.
After selecting IoT Core you will be at AWS IoT Core page. Scroll down the left side Navigation and click Selecting All Devices->Things under Manage category menu.
Later on, you will find the Things page. You will get the entire list of things there. You will also have the option to create new things. So just click on Yellow Button “Create things” to setup new thing.
After you click on “Create Things,” you will see the below page. You need to select “Create single thing.” This is the default option on that page.
Later on Assign the name of Thing and now i assigned the “TextThing4MQTTXClient” and select the “No Shadow“.
From the below page Select the “Auto-generate a new certificate” for your Thing. but you also have option to use your own certificates if you have contract with any other organization.
Now it’s time to select the policy for Thing, as AWS does not work without Policy. Currently, we don’t have any policy for the thing. Just click on “Create policy” and it will open up a new window in another tab. There, you are able to create the policy that we will attach to this Thing.
Now we are on the Create Policy page. Assign the name to the policy. Below, select “Allow” for Policy effect. Choose * for Policy action and type * under Policy resource. this will allow everything to this Thing just like connect, send, receive & etc to AWS IoT Core. and in the final click on “Create” button.
Navigate back to Thing tab and you will find the MQTTxPolicy. Select the policy and click on “Create Thing” button.
After clicking on Create thing, you will see the popup. From there, you are able to download the Device Certificate, Public & Private Keys, as well as Root CA Certificates. download all the certificate files as we are going to use the certificate files in MQTTx client for connectivity.
Connecting MQTTx to AWS IoT Core
Now it’s time to connect our thing with MQTTx. MQTTx is available in both variants. You can use the web-based client, or you can use the desktop application. One more thing, MQTTx is a cross-platform tool. You can use it on all major OS, like Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux. to get the MQTTx visit https://mqttx.app/. After installation lunch the MQTTx client. click on the Pluse icon button which is marked by red box. and select the “New Connection” option.
Now it’s time to assign the values to connection tab for proper connection.
1- Assign the Name to connection.
2-select mqtts://
3-Provide the AWS IoT Core end point. Now visit the AWS IoT Core. Select the Domain Conflagration menu under the connect tab. It is located on the left side of AWS IoT Core. From there, you will find the AWS IoT Core endpoint.
4- Enable SSL/TLS
5-Enable SSL Secure
6-Select “CA or Self signed certificates“
7-upload here AmazonRootCA1 certificate file.
8-Assign the Device certificate here.
9-Assign the Private key here.
After doing all the things click on connect and you will be good to go. If you encounter any issue, make sure your endpoint is correct. Also, ensure you are providing the correct certificate files.
After successful connection now it’s time to verify the things.
1-Assign the Topic “AWS/Temperature”
2-Value as 39 and click on send button.
Now we need to verify this value with AWS IoT Core MQTT Test Client. Open the AWS IoT Core. Select the MQTT test client under the Test tab. This tab is located on the left side of the menu bar. Assign the topic “AWS/Temperature” and click on the Subscribe button. After the subscription, you will find the value 39. This value was sent via MQTTx Client.
Congrats, now we have successfully tested MQTTx connectivity with AWS IoT Core. This tutorial will help you debug your device messages and communication on the specific topics. You can verify all the things with the help of MQTTx. This eliminates the need to go in and out with AWS IoT Core.
