Run close to the process
Keep automation execution, device communication, and useful local state on the industrial controller rather than making every decision depend on a remote service.
About BFC
Closing the gap between automation and information.
The BFC project explores a practical industrial edge layer where connected devices, scriptable control logic, data persistence, and open software integrations work as one system.
The idea
Make edge automation easier to compose.
Industrial projects often need the same foundations: controller commissioning, device access, local logic, persistent values, APIs, and dashboards. BFC packages those foundations into a reusable platform so application work can stay focused on the process.
It combines an ASP.NET Core Gateway, a scriptable Console runtime, IO-Link and IODD tooling, MariaDB, Node-RED, and a Windows Setup Tool. The result is a software-defined automation environment that can follow the application from an experiment to a repeatable edge deployment.
Design principles
Built around the realities of edge work.
Separate responsibilities
Give automations, APIs, persistence, and visual workflows clear runtime boundaries so they can be operated and understood independently.
Make behavior approachable
Use a concise lifecycle model and generated device drivers to express application behavior without rebuilding the platform for every new machine task.
Meet the wider system
Expose edge data through HTTP APIs, standard database tools, and Node-RED flows so it can move into operator experiences and higher-level applications.
Soft PLC, clearly scoped
Software-defined control for general edge automation.
“Soft PLC” describes the role BFC plays: control and orchestration logic runs in software on a general industrial computer, integrates directly with devices, and can be deployed and managed like a modern application.
BFC is designed for
- ✓ Scripted automation and orchestration near machines
- ✓ IO-Link device integration and IODD-derived drivers
- ✓ Local data collection, REST access, and visual workflows
- ✓ Modular evaluation and application prototyping
BFC does not claim to be
- — A safety-certified control system
- — A deterministic hard-real-time runtime
- — An IEC 61131-3 engineering environment
Current maturity
A preview with practical foundations.
BFC is currently best treated as a technology preview for controlled industrial evaluation. Its core path is already tangible—from controller commissioning and lifecycle scripts to persisted values and Node-RED integration—but production hardening remains an explicit responsibility.
Evaluate deliberately
Validate device behavior, performance, recovery, and lifecycle management for your own process.
Harden before exposure
Replace defaults, protect secrets, restrict ports, use trusted TLS, and add network and application controls.