1️⃣ Devices: These are the “things” in IoT (for example, sensors, cameras, smartwatches, locks, and industrial robots). Those devices collect data and/or perform actions impacting their surroundings. They are the starting point of the IoT data pipeline.
2️⃣ Edge: At this layer, data processing starts closer to the devices. Gateways and edge servers filter, preprocess, and transmit relevant data to reduce latency and optimize bandwidth usage.
3️⃣ Backend: Here lies the IoT brainpower - cloud platforms and backend servers process, analyze, and store data. Machine learning models and analytics tools run at this layer, offering deep insights and enabling decision-making.
4️⃣ Frontend: This is the interface for users or administrators, typically dashboards, applications, or APIs, to visualize data, control devices, and manage the IoT ecosystem.
Together, these layers form a seamless flow, transforming raw data from devices into meaningful actions and insights.
Update based on the received question:
There is no strict separation between those layers. Typically, we use different technologies to create logic operating on Devices, Edge Gateways, the Backend, and the Frontend.
From the management perspective, a single IoT Platform should handle Devices, Edge Gateways, and the Backend. That platform will also provide the Frontend for Administrators, but not necessarily for the End Users.
