Installation and setup

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure your environment meets the following requirements:

• Java Runtime Environment (JRE) Version 8 or higher must be installed on the machine running the loader.

• Network access The machine running the CoAP Loader must be reachable from the public Internet. This requires either:

  • A public IP address, or

  • Port forwarding configured on your router.

• Firewall configuration Ensure that the CoAP port (default: 5683, but can be customised) is open for incoming UDP traffic.

• Custom application requirements Your application must:

  • Be reachable by the CoAP Loader over HTTP/HTTPS.

  • Accept REST API requests with JSON payloads.

  • Process measurement, configuration, and device information data sent by the loader.

  • Process incoming requests quickly and return a response without blocking or unnecessary delays. Sensors wait for a confirmation that the server has received the data; longer response times increase battery consumption, and if a response is not received in time, the sensor will assume the server is unavailable and retry transmission using a backoff timer.

  • Respond to requests sent by the CoAP Loader with an HTTP 2xx status code (preferably 201 Created). Failure to return a successful response code may cause the loader to treat the request as unsuccessful.

  • Be capable of handling bursts of incoming sensor data. Sensors transmit measurements in batches, meaning a single message frame may contain hundreds of measurements that need to be parsed, processed, and stored efficiently without delaying the response to the loader.

Installation and setup

1

Download the CoAP Loader

You can download the latest version of the Efento CoAP Loader using the link below:

loader-coap-demo-3-0-0.zipGoogle Docs

Unzip it and save the files in a directory on the machine where the loader will be executed.

2

Configuration

The loader is configured using the application.yml file located in the main directory of the application.

You must modify this file to match your infrastructure and define the endpoints where the data will be forwarded.

# REST API Endpoints - where data will be forwarded
endpoint: "http://your-platform.com/api/measurements" # Replace with the endpoint address  
endpointConfiguration: "http://your-platform.com/api/config" # Replace with the endpoint address
endpointDeviceInfo: "http://your-platform.com/api/info" # Replace with the endpoint address

# Ports Settings
appPort: 8080   # Port on which the loader management interface runs
coapPort: 5683  # Port on which the loader listens for sensor messages

Endpoint	Purpose
endpoint	Receives measurement data from sensors
endpointConfiguration	Receives sensors configuration
endpointDeviceInfo	Receives device metadata (technical parameters, firmware, etc.)

All endpoints must accept HTTP POST requests with JSON payloads.

3

Run the CoAP Loader

Open a terminal or command prompt and navigate to the folder in which the CoAP Loader files are located.

Run the application with the following command:

java -jar loader-coap-demo-X-X-X.jar

Replace X-X-X with the actual version number of your file.

Once started, the loader will begin listening for incoming CoAP messages from sensors.

Important – Network Connectivity

• If the loader runs behind NAT, you must configure port forwarding on your router.

• Forward the UDP port used for CoAP communication (default: 5683) to the machine running the loader.

• Without a public IP address or proper port forwarding, sensors will not be able to deliver data to the loader.

4

Connect sensors to the CoAP Loader

To start receiving data, you must manually configure each Efento sensor to send data to your CoAP Loader instance as described in "Configuration with a custom server" section.

Enter the following parameters:

• Server Address - the public IP address or domain name of the machine running the CoAP Loader

• Port - the CoAP port configured in application.yml (default: 5683).

• Optionally you can configure the Measurement interval and the Transmission interval

After configuration, the sensor will begin transmitting measurements to the loader.

When the first message is received, it will be forwarded to the selected endpoint and appear in the application console output.

Verification & Troubleshooting

• Console Output: Incoming sensor measurements are displayed in real time in the terminal where the loader is running. This is the fastest way to verify that the sensors are sending data correctly.

• Log Files: The application automatically creates a log file (log.log). This file is stored in the main application directory and contains detailed diagnostic information useful for debugging connectivity or integration issues.

• Platform Response: Your application must return an HTTP success status code (2xx).

  Recommended responses include: 201 Created, 200 OK, 204 No Content

  If your platform returns a non-2xx response, the loader may treat the transmission as unsuccessful and log an error.