Platform

A software control layer for the industrial edge.

BFC brings automation execution, device connectivity, durable data, APIs, visual flows, and controller operations into one coherent platform.

Get the preview Technical documentation
What Soft PLC means in BFC

Control logic as deployable software.

BFC runs general automation and orchestration logic on an industrial Linux controller. Scripts use an explicit lifecycle, device functionality is exposed through software drivers, and every uploaded automation can run as an independent container.

Lifecycle

Predictable execution

Initialize resources in Startup, perform repeated work in Loop, and release cleanly in Teardown.

Deployment

Independent automations

Each Lua script can become a separately named BFC Console container, with its own lifecycle, logs, start/stop controls, and failure boundary.

Devices

Generated drivers

IODD definitions can be transformed into drivers that make IO-Link device capabilities accessible from the automation runtime.

Inside the stack

Five focused building blocks.

The platform is modular enough to operate and extend, without forcing users to integrate its foundations from scratch.

01

BFC Setup Tool

Windows workstation

Connects to Debian, Raspbian, or Ubuntu controllers over SSH/SFTP. It detects x64, ARM64, or ARMv7, uploads the matching offline images, provisions core services, and manages automation containers and logs.

02

BFC Console

Automation runtime

Executes interactive commands and Lua, JSON, or Python inputs. Lua projects use the BFC lifecycle and can load plugins for IO-Link masters, SmartLight devices, UHF RFID, and Gateway communication.

03

BFC Gateway

ASP.NET Core REST API

Authenticates clients with JWT and exposes current and historical typed Lua values plus RFID tag data. Swagger supports API exploration, while a built-in page shows active tags.

04

MariaDB + phpMyAdmin

Persistence

Stores Gateway state and histories locally on the controller. phpMyAdmin provides a familiar administration surface during development and controlled evaluation.

05

Node-RED integration

Flows + dashboards

The included custom node connects to the Gateway, handles authentication and token refresh, and reads the latest typed BFC value into visual flows and FlowFuse Dashboard experiences.

Runtime topology

One edge controller. Clear boundaries.

The workstation commissions the target remotely. On the controller, services communicate through a private Docker network while selected interfaces are exposed to the plant network.

Engineering workstation

BFC Setup Tool

Windows · SSH/SFTP · deployment and operations

Industrial Linux controller

bfc-network

amd64 arm64 armv7

BFC-{script}

Automation container(s)

bfc-gateway

REST · 5000 / 5001

bfc-mariadb

Database · 3306

bfc-nodered

Flows · 1885

bfc-phpmyadmin

Database administration · 8080

Go deeper

Follow the complete technical path.

The user guide covers prerequisites, commissioning, scripts, Gateway integration, Node-RED, troubleshooting, network ports, and runtime files.

Open documentation