Framework for rapid prototyping of distributed IoT applications powered by WebRTC

Abstract

We argue that the future of Internet of Things (IoT) systems, especially when it comes to privacy and security, lies in distributed IoT applications. Distributed IoT applications implement a model we call "computation follows data". In this model, application modules are deployed directly on IoT devices that produce sensitive data. Developing such applications is, however, not easy. Based on our own experience, we identify the lack of a rapid prototyping and development environment as the biggest challenge in the development process. In this paper, we describe a framework that aims to help simplify the process. The framework provides a web-based user interface with interactive virtual IO ports and a runtime environment for IoT device emulation. We also describe a network architecture with support for WebRTC-based direct device-to-device connections. The network architecture allows experimentation with an entire network of IoT devices, both emulated and physical.