What RelayQ Is
RelayQ is a deterministic edge runtime designed to isolate failure and maintain system stability under unpredictable conditions.
It runs as a single binary, connects directly to field devices, and processes, persists, and delivers data without external dependencies or cross-component failure modes.
System Guarantees
RelayQ is engineered to enforce predictable behavior under failure:
Device isolation
A failing or slow device cannot impact other devices.
Subscriber isolation
A slow or disconnected subscriber cannot stall the system.
Crash consistency
Message state remains consistent across crashes and restarts.
No external instability
No external dependency can introduce runtime instability.
These guarantees are enforced by architecture, not configuration.
These guarantees are enforced through how ingestion, processing, and delivery are designed.
How It Works
Ingestion
- • Connects directly to Modbus RTU/TCP, DNP3, and OPC-UA devices
- • Raw register and point data transformed into structured MQTT/Sparkplug B topics
- • No separate protocol gateway or middleware needed
- • Each device is handled in isolation — failures from one device do not propagate through the system
Processing
- • Local rules engine evaluates and routes data
- • Built-in historian buffers locally
- • Device shadow tracks last-known state
- • All processing on-device, independent of cloud connectivity
- • Occurs entirely within the same execution boundary — no external service can introduce additional failure modes
Delivery
- • MQTT 3.1.1 (QoS 0/1/2) to local or remote subscribers
- • Write-ahead log persists every QoS 1/2 message before acknowledgement
- • No message loss on restart or power failure
- • Slow or disconnected subscribers cannot stall the system or affect other clients
Security
- • TLS 1.2/1.3 with optional mTLS
- • Topic-level ACL, default-deny
- • SHA-256 credentials, rate limiting, brute-force protection
- • No OpenSSL, no auth framework, no external dependencies
- • All security mechanisms operate within the same execution boundary
System Architecture
RelayQ operates as a single execution boundary. All components share memory and communicate internally without network or process boundaries.
This eliminates cross-component failure modes, reduces latency, and ensures consistent state across ingestion, processing, and delivery.
Sparkplug B
RelayQ has 100% Sparkplug B Aware conformance — the only runtime we are aware of with built-in Sparkplug B validation at ingress.
Topic shape validation
Malformed Sparkplug topics rejected at ingress before reaching subscribers.
Birth/death sequencing
bdSeq stale-session detection and birth/death order enforcement.
Metric stability checking
Metric name and datatype consistency validated across sessions.
Sparkplug-aware ACL
Access control templates that understand Sparkplug topic namespaces.
Security
All security mechanisms operate within the same execution boundary — no external libraries, no auth frameworks, no OpenSSL.
TLS 1.2/1.3 + mTLS
Optional, feature-gated. Certificate revocation and pinning.
Topic-level ACL
Default-deny. Per-topic read/write permissions.
SHA-256 credentials
FIPS 180-4 password hashing. No external crypto library.
Brute-force protection
Per-IP failure tracking with automatic lockout.
IP allowlist/blocklist
Exact IP and CIDR range filtering.
Ed25519 binary signing
Every release cryptographically verified from build to deployment.
Constraints and Boundaries
Active/standby (2-node)
Automatic failover between two nodes. No multi-node clustering (3+ nodes).
MQTT 3.1.1
Implements the OASIS MQTT 3.1.1 standard. MQTT 5.0 is on the roadmap for 2027.
Linux only
Runs on x86_64, aarch64, and armv7. No Windows or macOS support.
Not a SCADA system
RelayQ delivers data to SCADA systems, it does not replace them.
Not a cloud platform
Operates entirely on local infrastructure. No cloud dependency for any runtime function.
Verification
RelayQ’s behavior is validated under adversarial conditions — ensuring guarantees hold under malformed input, concurrency stress, and long-running operation.
2,968 automated tests
With specification traceability.
Fuzz testing
Millions of inputs across protocol codecs, zero crashes.
Model checking
Concurrency validation, zero data races.
Soak testing
Long-duration sustained load, zero message loss.
Runtime Characteristics
Designed for high-throughput, low-latency operation on commodity hardware, while maintaining bounded resource usage and predictable behavior.
Performance characteristics are achieved without sacrificing bounded resource usage or predictable behavior.
Observability
Prometheus metrics
Native endpoint for scraping.
Grafana dashboard
Pre-built, ready to import.
Management UI
Embedded, no external tooling.
Health endpoints
Readiness and liveness probes.
Structured logging
JSON output for aggregation.
Deployment
RelayQ is delivered as a compiled, Ed25519-signed binary. Every release is cryptographically verified to ensure integrity from build to deployment.
Runs anywhere
Deploy on bare metal, inside Docker containers, or as a systemd service. The same binary runs identically across all environments.
Minimal deployment
Delivered as a single archive containing the binary, configuration template, and install script. No runtime dependencies, no external services, no package manager required.
Single config file
One TOML file controls all runtime settings.
Hot reload
Send SIGHUP to reload configuration without restarting the process. Active connections remain uninterrupted during reload.
Licensing
- Evaluation: full features, 24-hour runtime per start, no license file needed
- Production: unlimited runtime, hardware-bound license file
Both editions are the same binary. The presence of a valid license file determines runtime behaviour.
OEM Integration
RelayQ can be embedded into third-party products as a runtime component.
Per-device licensing
Licensed per device or per deployment.
Redistribution
Under OEM agreement.
Source access
Under separate written agreement.
Supported Industries
⚡ Energy & Smart Grid
Substations, DER, smart metering.
💧 Water & Wastewater
Pump stations, treatment plants.
🏭 Industrial Automation
Factory floor, SCADA integration.
🚗 Automotive & EV
Charging infrastructure, fleet telemetry.
🏥 Medical Devices
Clinical gateways, patient monitoring.
🚆 Railway
Trackside, rolling stock, operations.
Evaluate the system under real failure conditions — not just ideal scenarios.
Ready to evaluate RelayQ?
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