node-red-flow-src-sync

Remotely edit and synchronize Node-RED flows within IDEs such as VS Code.

Features

• Remotely edit and synchronize Node-RED flows within IDEs such as VS Code.
• TypeScript-based code using Node.js (v23.6.0^) directly with no transpilation.
• Real-time file watching for automatic synchronization.
• No direct access to Node-RED folders needed.
• API integration for fetching and deploying flows to Node-RED.
• Bidirectional conversion between Node-RED flows and source files.
• Support for authentication via bearer tokens.
• Optimized for very large projects and only update changed files.
• Clear and concise logging and error handling.
• Only 2 dependencies
  • chokidar for file watching
  • ws for WebSocket communication with Node-RED.

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd node-red-flow-src-sync

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

Configuration

1. Copy the sample configuration file:

   cp config-sample.js config.js

2. Edit config.js to match your Node-RED setup:

   • nodeRedUrl: The base URL to your Node-RED instance (e.g., 'https://node-red.mydomain.lan').
   • allowSelfSignedCertificates: Set to true if using self-signed certificates.
   • bearerToken: Provide the bearer token if authentication is enabled in Node-RED (found in .sessions files).
   • sourcePath: Full path where source files will be output (defaults to config file location if not specified).
   • cleanOnStart: Set to true to clear the source folder before building.
   • fileChangeDelay: Delay in milliseconds after file changes before rebuilding (default: 1000ms).

Usage

1. Ensure Node-RED is running and accessible.

2. Run the application:

   npm start

3. The tool will:

   • Fetch flows from Node-RED and generate source files in the specified sourcePath.
   • Watch for changes in the source files and automatically deploy updates to Node-RED.

4. Edit the generated source files in your IDE (e.g., VS Code) as needed. Changes will be synchronized back to Node-RED.

Testing

Run tests with:

npm test

Compiling and Installing

If using Bun compile source code to a single executable file:

bun build src/watcher.ts \
  --compile \
  --outfile dist/node-red-flow-src-sync

Make executable available in PATH:

sudo cp dist/node-red-flow-src-sync /usr/local/bin/

License

MIT License

Author

Charbel Choueiri charbel.choueiri@gmail.com