“This year’s results offer some very interesting trends, particularly those related to real-world case studies and technology options,” said Mike Milinkovich, executive director of The Eclipse Foundation. “It’s clear that developers are actively building production solutions based on open-source technologies to address current IoT challenges in industrial, agricultural, and municipal facilities.”
This online study was conducted from April 4 to July 5, 2023, with the participation of 1,037 developers, committers, architects, and managers from around the world, representing diverse sectors and organizations. Here are some of its key findings: Development is increasing across all IoT sectors. Industrial automation has once again become the leading area (rising from 22% to 33%), followed by agriculture (from 23% to 29%), building automation, energy management, and smart cities (all at 24%). Developers indicate that Java is their preferred language for IoT gateways and edge nodes, while C, C++, and Java are the most commonly used languages for constrained devices.
MQTT is the leading communication protocol for IIoT. Nearly half of developers (49%) indicate their preference for MQTT for IIoT communications, while MQTT + Sparkplug lags behind at 8%.
The withdrawal of IoT middleware vendors has created an opportunity for innovators to enter the market. Google Cloud IoT Platform, Bosch IoT Suite, IBM Watson IoT, and SAP Internet of Things all exited the market in 2022 or announced their intention to do so. While nearly half of respondents indicated they work with one or more of these vendors, only 12% have switched to a new vendor.
Control logic (40%) has overtaken artificial intelligence (37%) as the most common edge computing task. Does this signify a renewed interest in the practical aspects of providing real-world solutions? Time will tell.
Software supply chain security has become a top priority for IoT/Edge developers: 70% say it is vital to their work.
5G is accelerating the adoption of the IIoT. Cellular adoption has doubled since 2022 (44% vs. 22% in 2022) largely due to 5G penetration, while WiFi (38% vs. 36% in 2022), Ethernet (38% vs. 29% in 2022), and Bluetooth (23% vs. 20% in 2022) remain viable options.
The study's data provides detailed information on developers' preferences regarding edge computing tasks, platform connectivity, developer concerns, and applications by market. Furthermore, the report offers detailed recommendations on the next steps for IoT developers.
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