Azure IoT Central: Managed IoT Platform

Azure IoT Central is a fully managed IoT platform. Build connected solutions without IoT infrastructure expertise—from devices to insights.

IoT Central vs IoT Hub

Feature	IoT Central	IoT Hub
Management	Fully managed	Self-managed
UI	Built-in dashboards	Build your own
Device templates	Visual designer	Code-based
Rules	No-code rules	Functions/Stream Analytics
Best for	Quick deployment	Full customization

Create IoT Central App

az iot central app create \
    --name my-iot-app \
    --resource-group myRG \
    --subdomain my-iot-app \
    --sku ST2 \
    --template iotc-pnp-preview \
    --display-name "My IoT Application"

Device Templates

Define device capabilities:

{
    "@type": "Interface",
    "@context": "dtmi:dtdl:context;2",
    "@id": "dtmi:mycompany:TemperatureSensor;1",
    "displayName": "Temperature Sensor",
    "contents": [
        {
            "@type": "Telemetry",
            "name": "temperature",
            "schema": "double",
            "displayName": "Temperature",
            "unit": "degreeCelsius"
        },
        {
            "@type": "Telemetry",
            "name": "humidity",
            "schema": "double",
            "displayName": "Humidity",
            "unit": "percent"
        },
        {
            "@type": "Property",
            "name": "firmwareVersion",
            "schema": "string",
            "displayName": "Firmware Version"
        },
        {
            "@type": "Property",
            "name": "targetTemperature",
            "schema": "double",
            "displayName": "Target Temperature",
            "writable": true
        },
        {
            "@type": "Command",
            "name": "reboot",
            "displayName": "Reboot Device",
            "request": {
                "name": "delay",
                "schema": "integer"
            }
        }
    ]
}

Device Connectivity

import asyncio
from azure.iot.device.aio import IoTHubDeviceClient
from azure.iot.device import Message

# Connect using device connection string
device_client = IoTHubDeviceClient.create_from_connection_string(connection_string)
await device_client.connect()

# Send telemetry
async def send_telemetry():
    while True:
        telemetry = {
            "temperature": 22.5,
            "humidity": 65
        }
        msg = Message(json.dumps(telemetry))
        msg.content_type = "application/json"
        msg.content_encoding = "utf-8"
        await device_client.send_message(msg)
        await asyncio.sleep(10)

# Handle commands
async def command_handler(command):
    if command.name == "reboot":
        delay = command.payload.get("delay", 0)
        print(f"Rebooting in {delay} seconds")
        return {"status": "success"}

device_client.on_command_request_received = command_handler

# Report properties
await device_client.patch_twin_reported_properties({
    "firmwareVersion": "1.2.3"
})

Rules and Actions

Define rules in IoT Central:

Rule: High Temperature Alert
Condition: temperature > 30 for 5 minutes
Actions:
  - Send email to operators@company.com
  - Call webhook: https://api.company.com/alerts
  - Run Azure Logic App

Data Export

{
    "destinations": [
        {
            "id": "blob-storage",
            "type": "blobstorage@v1",
            "connectionString": "DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;..."
        },
        {
            "id": "event-hubs",
            "type": "eventhubs@v1",
            "connectionString": "Endpoint=sb://..."
        }
    ],
    "exports": [
        {
            "displayName": "Telemetry Export",
            "enabled": true,
            "source": "telemetry",
            "destination": "blob-storage"
        }
    ]
}

Dashboards

Built-in visualizations:

• Line/bar charts
• KPIs and gauges
• Maps
• Tables
• Device images

Device Groups

Groups:
├── All Devices
├── Production Floor
│   ├── Line 1 Sensors
│   └── Line 2 Sensors
└── Testing
    └── Lab Devices

Jobs

{
    "displayName": "Update Firmware",
    "group": "all-sensors",
    "data": [
        {
            "type": "property",
            "target": "firmwareVersion",
            "value": "2.0.0"
        }
    ]
}

REST API

# Get devices
curl -X GET \
    "https://my-iot-app.azureiotcentral.com/api/devices" \
    -H "Authorization: SharedAccessSignature sr=..."

# Send command
curl -X POST \
    "https://my-iot-app.azureiotcentral.com/api/devices/{deviceId}/commands/reboot" \
    -H "Authorization: SharedAccessSignature sr=..." \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{"request": {"delay": 5}}'

IoT Central: from concept to connected solution in minutes.