Deployment Overview
Welcome to the deployment guide for ESP RainMaker. This guide is intended for those who would like to deploy ESP RainMaker on a private cloud. If you would like to try out ESP RainMaker without deploying a private cloud, please head to Evaluation Hub for a quick evaluation of its capabilities using public RainMaker or read more at Product Overview to better understand the technical aspects of ESP RainMaker.
Public vs Private RainMaker
Public RainMaker
Public RainMaker is a cloud platform provided by Espressif. It is free to use, and no deployment setup is needed. Using public RainMaker allows users to quickly deploy and manage their IoT device without needing to set up their own cloud infrastructure. It it ideal for evaluating the capabilities of ESP RainMaker, small-scale testing, and developing proof of concepts (POCs).
Private RainMaker
Deploying private RainMaker enables you to set up your own instance of the RainMaker cloud infrastructure, instead of using public RainMaker cloud services provided by Espressif, which has limited node quota and primarily used for evaluation. This also eliminates the need to build a cloud ecosystem from scratch.
While this private deployment is not plug-and-play, it offers the flexibility to customize the solution to your business needs, with the foundation for an end-to-end IoT ecosystem already in place. This allows your team to focus on product integration and development, accelerating your time to market and bringing your innovative solution to life faster.
Deploying private RainMaker allows you to have...
- Data Privacy and Security
- Host and manage backend and cloud services privately without the need to send data to a third-party server or cloud service ensuring complete data ownership.
- Custom Data Handling
- Complete flexibility over how to process, analyze, and manage data to enable optimized performance and seamless integration.
- Tailored Branding
- Obtain full control over the branding, a private deployment allows you to white-label the platform, so users interact with a custom user interface that reflects your brand.
- Scalability
- Ensure that resources are appropriately managed and scaled with AWS Serverless Architecture which is suitable for large-scale IoT deployments.
Once you have validated your proof of concept, you can deploy your own solution using private RainMaker as an enterprise customer. Contact our Sales team @esp-rainmaker-support@espressif.com to get started.
These are the key technical differences to note when migrating from public and private RainMaker or when starting off with private RainMaker.
| Components | Public RainMaker | Private RainMaker |
|---|---|---|
| Claiming | Uses a concept of Claiming to obtain device credentials. | Uses RainMaker Admin CLI to generate device credentials. |
| Phone Apps | Ready-made example App is available on commercial app stores which are configured to work out of the box. | Apps needs to be configured and customised through the Android/iOS SDKs. |
| 3rd party logins | These 3rd party login options are already made available on public RainMaker's dashboard with (Google, Apple, Github for Global) (Wechat, Apple for China). | They must be configured separately via Google/Apple (Global) or Apple/WeChat (China) Developer accounts. GitHub login is not recommended due to its focus on public applications, which may not provide the security or privacy needed for private systems, especially those handling sensitive data. |
| CLI | RainMaker CLI is used in public RainMaker for testing and evaluation. RainMaker Admin CLI is not used here. | RainMaker CLI and Admin CLI can both be used here where Admin CLI is mandatory for generating and registering the node credentials. Click here to view the usage of RainMaker CLI & RainMaker admin CLI in private RainMaker. |
| Voice Assistant Integrations | Alexa Skill and Google Voice Assistant integration are pre-configured to work without any setup. | These integrations need to be configured separately, as they do not work out-of-the-box. |
- Firmware: There are a few key considerations to note when developing firmware in private RainMaker. Checkout Firmware R&D notes for more information.
There are slight differences in using ESP RainMaker in the Global and China region. This is related to its usage but not deployment. These differences will be classified clearly throughout the deployment guide.