Introduction

Node-RED is a powerful visual programming tool used for automation, IoT systems, MQTT projects, sensor monitoring, and dashboard creation. In this tutorial, we will install Node-RED on Ubuntu and add the modern dashboard package: @flowfuse/node-red-dashboard.

The old package node-red-dashboard is deprecated. For a new installation, it is better to use FlowFuse Dashboard, which provides modern dashboard nodes such as gauges, charts, buttons, text widgets, and templates.

1. Update Ubuntu

First, update the package list and upgrade the system packages. This step is important because Node-RED and Node.js depend on updated system libraries.

sudo apt update
```

sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Install Required Tools

Install useful tools required for compiling packages and downloading installation scripts.

sudo apt install -y build-essential git curl

3. Install Node-RED

Use the official Node-RED installation script for Debian and Ubuntu-based systems. This script installs or updates Node.js and Node-RED automatically.

bash <(curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/node-red/linux-installers/master/deb/update-nodejs-and-nodered)

During the installation, the script may ask if you want to continue installing or updating Node.js and Node-RED. Type:

y

4. Start Node-RED Manually

After installation, you can start Node-RED manually using this command:

node-red

When Node-RED starts successfully, open the editor in your browser:

http://localhost:1880

If you are connecting from another computer or phone on the same network, use the Ubuntu machine IP address:

http://ADRESSE_IP_UBUNTU:1880

To find the IP address of your Ubuntu machine, run:

hostname -I

5. Install FlowFuse Dashboard

To install the modern Node-RED dashboard, go to the Node-RED user directory:

cd ~/.node-red

Now install the FlowFuse Dashboard package:

npm install @flowfuse/node-red-dashboard

6. Restart Node-RED

After installing the dashboard package, restart Node-RED so the new dashboard nodes appear inside the editor.

node-red-restart

If Node-RED is running as a systemd service, restart it with:

sudo systemctl restart nodered

To check the service status:

sudo systemctl status nodered

7. Enable Node-RED at Ubuntu Startup

To make Node-RED start automatically when Ubuntu boots, enable the Node-RED service:

sudo systemctl enable nodered.service

Start the service manually if it is not already running:

sudo systemctl start nodered.service

8. Useful Node-RED Management Commands

Node-RED provides simple commands to start, stop, restart, and read logs.

node-red-start
```

node-red-stop node-red-restart node-red-log

9. Open the Node-RED Dashboard

After restarting Node-RED, open the Node-RED editor:

http://ADRESSE_IP_UBUNTU:1880

In the left sidebar, you should see new dashboard nodes such as:

• ui-button
• ui-text
• ui-gauge
• ui-chart
• ui-template

The dashboard page is usually available at:

http://ADRESSE_IP_UBUNTU:1880/dashboard

10. Create a Simple Dashboard Test

To verify that the dashboard works, create a very simple test flow.

1. Add an inject node.
2. Add a ui-text or ui-gauge node.
3. Connect the inject node to the dashboard node.
4. Double-click the dashboard node.
5. Create a new Page and a new Group.
6. Click Deploy.
7. Open the dashboard URL in your browser.

http://ADRESSE_IP_UBUNTU:1880/dashboard

11. Allow Port 1880 in the Firewall

If you cannot access Node-RED from another PC or phone on the same network, the firewall may be blocking port 1880.

Allow Node-RED port 1880 using UFW:

sudo ufw allow 1880/tcp
```

sudo ufw reload

Then try opening Node-RED again:

http://ADRESSE_IP_UBUNTU:1880

12. Quick Command Summary

Here is the complete list of essential commands used in this tutorial.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
```

sudo apt install -y build-essential git curl bash <(curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/node-red/linux-installers/master/deb/update-nodejs-and-nodered) cd ~/.node-red npm install @flowfuse/node-red-dashboard sudo systemctl enable nodered.service sudo systemctl restart nodered.service

13. Troubleshooting

hostname -I
```

node-red-log sudo systemctl status nodered sudo ufw allow 1880/tcp sudo ufw reload