Ignition Cloud Edition
Ignition Cloud Edition is a cloud architecture-based version of Ignition. Unlike standard Ignition and Ignition Edge, which are available as installable software on Inductive Automation's downloads page, Cloud Edition is available through major cloud computing marketplaces such as Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Besides distribution, there are other key differences that distinguish Cloud Edition from standard Ignition or Edge, such as device connectivity and module granularity.
Purchasing and Licensing​
Unlike previous versions of Ignition, Cloud Edition is purchased through cloud marketplaces and not through Inductive Automation. Cloud Edition will instead detect that it is running in a paid image or container, and therefore already be licensed, negating needing to apply a license key to the Gateway.
AWS Partner Solutions​
AWS offers automated reference deployments called Partner Solutions. There are two Partner Solutions available:
- Standalone
- Cluster
Both of these Partner Solutions have already been configured with regards to security, Gateway connections, and database connectivity. See the Ignition by Inductive Automation on AWS reference page for more information.
Core Functionality​
Cloud Connectors​
With Cloud Edition comes a new type of module called Cloud Connectors. These new modules are more focused on cloud infrastructure rather than locally installed software. The section below details the various Cloud Connectors available for Cloud Edition.
| Cloud Connector | Description |
|---|---|
 MongoDB | The MongoDB Connector Module allows Cloud Edition to connect to a MongoDB NoSQL database deployment. Several MongoDB Cloud Connector features include:
|
Redundancy​
Two Cloud Edition Gateways can be set up with redundancy. Cloud Edition Gateways will only be able to failover to another Cloud Edition Gateway. It is recommended to set up redundancy between two Cloud Edition Gateways in different Availability Zones in case one Availability Zone fails.
Module Offerings​
Cloud Edition comes standard with many of Inductive Automation's most popular modules, with the main exception being the Vision Module. The nature of Cloud Edition makes Perspective's web-based visualization system more suitable for cloud-based infrastructure and helps mitigate potential security risks. With some variations, the modules that are generally included in Cloud Edition are:
| Module Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Alarm Notification | Provides alarm notifications via email. |
| Cirrus Link MQTT Distributor | Add an MQTT server that allows MQTT clients to connect to, publish, and subscribe to data. |
| Cirrus Link MQTT Engine | Adds bidirectional communication with edge-of-network devices through an MQTT server. |
| Cirrus Link MQTT Transmission | Publish data from edge of network Tag change events as MQTT messages. |
| EAM | Manage many Gateways from a central Gateway. |
| OPC UA | Provides OPC UA server and OPC UA client functionality. Device drivers are not included in Cloud Edition's OPC-UA module. |
| Perspective | A module that provides modern, responsive HTML based graphical interfaces for Ignition projects. |
| Reporting | Adds reporting capability. |
| SFC | Sequential Function Charts are customizable logic execution environments. |
| SQL Bridge | An OPC-to-SQL data logger and transaction manager. |
| Symbol Factory | Includes almost 4000 Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs), making designing projects easier and smoother. |
| Tag Historian | Turns any database into a powerful historian that can store and drive data. |
| Twilio Notification | Send SMS alarm notifications without a physical device, allowing to send SMS message via Python script. |
| Web Dev | Allows you to create and serve basic web resources and respond to web requests through scripting. |
IA modules that are not included with Cloud Edition cannot be licensed. Third party modules can still be added and licensed on Cloud Edition platforms.
Ignition Cloud Edition Compared with Ignition​
Since Ignition Cloud Edition is more focused on cloud architecture compared to the standard version of Ignition, there are some features that differ in Cloud Edition compared to standard Ignition. The following sections detail some of these differences.
Device Connectivity​
Cloud Edition does not include any industrial device drivers to connect directly to PLCs. For security reasons, it is architecturally inadvisable to connect to a PLC or industrial device from a cloud infrastructure. However, MQTT tools are available to publish device telemetry to Cloud Edition.
Module Granularity​
Unlike a standard version of Ignition where you choose which modules you want to include, Cloud Edition comes with a packaged set of modules. See the Module Offerings section for more information.
Availability and Commissioning​
Since Cloud Edition will be available through major cloud computing platforms, this means that Cloud Edition will not appear as an option in the normal commissioning process during which users select which version of Ignition they are working with.
Cloud Edition Gateway​
In a Cloud Edition installation, there are visual changes to the Gateway, with some pages being different or removed. For example, one of the visual changes include blue Cloud Edition logos instead of traditional orange Ignition logos. See the Cloud Edition Gateway page for more information.