Dotnet | Integration | Edge Computing Tutorial

Introduction

Edge Computing is a paradigm that brings computation and data storage closer to the location where it is needed, to improve response times and save bandwidth. .NET, a popular framework developed by Microsoft, supports various edge computing scenarios, enabling developers to build robust, scalable, and efficient edge applications.

Setting Up the Environment

To get started with .NET for edge computing, you need to set up your development environment. Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Install .NET SDK

Download and install the .NET SDK from the official .NET website.

dotnet --version

This command verifies the installation by printing the installed .NET version.

Step 2: Install Visual Studio Code

Download and install Visual Studio Code from the official Visual Studio Code website. It is a lightweight, open-source code editor with excellent support for .NET development.

Creating a .NET Core Console Application

Let's create a simple .NET Core Console Application to understand the basics of .NET programming.

Step 1: Create a New Project

dotnet new console -n EdgeDemo

This command creates a new console application project named EdgeDemo.

Step 2: Navigate to the Project Directory

cd EdgeDemo

Change directory to the newly created project folder.

Step 3: Run the Application

dotnet run

This command builds and runs the application. You should see the output "Hello World!" in the terminal.

Hello World!

Integrating Edge Computing with .NET

Now that we have a basic .NET application, let's explore how to integrate edge computing functionalities.

Azure IoT Edge

Azure IoT Edge is a fully managed service built on Azure IoT Hub. It allows deploying cloud workloads—such as artificial intelligence, Azure and third-party services, or your own business logic—to run on IoT Edge devices via standard containers.

Step 1: Install Azure IoT Edge Runtime

Follow the official Azure IoT Edge installation guide to set up the runtime on your edge device.

Step 2: Create an IoT Hub

Create an Azure IoT Hub through the Azure portal to manage your IoT devices.

Step 3: Develop and Deploy Modules

Create and deploy custom modules to your IoT Edge device using .NET. Here's a simple example of a module that sends telemetry data:

using System;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Microsoft.Azure.Devices.Client;
using Newtonsoft.Json;

namespace EdgeModule
{
    class Program
    {
        static ModuleClient ioTHubModuleClient;
        static async Task Main(string[] args)
        {
            ioTHubModuleClient = await ModuleClient.CreateFromEnvironmentAsync();
            await ioTHubModuleClient.OpenAsync();
            Console.WriteLine("IoT Hub module client initialized.");

            // Send telemetry data
            while (true)
            {
                var telemetryData = new { temperature = 25.0 + new Random().NextDouble() * 10 };
                var messageString = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(telemetryData);
                var message = new Message(System.Text.Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(messageString));

                await ioTHubModuleClient.SendEventAsync("output1", message);
                Console.WriteLine($"Sent message: {messageString}");

                await Task.Delay(1000);
            }
        }
    }
}

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we covered the basics of setting up a .NET development environment, creating a simple .NET Core console application, and integrating edge computing with Azure IoT Edge. With this foundation, you can explore more advanced topics and build powerful edge computing solutions using .NET.

.NET Tutorial on Edge Computing