MQTT Credential - IoT Messaging Broker

What is an MQTT Credential

An MQTT credential allows your workflows to connect to an MQTT broker to publish and subscribe to real-time messages. MQTT is the standard protocol for Internet of Things (IoT) communication.

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Configuration Fields

Field	Description	Example
Broker URL	MQTT broker connection URL	mqtt://broker.example.com:1883
Username	Username (optional)	my_user
Password	Password (optional)	my_password

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How to Get the Credentials

Mosquitto (self-hosted)

1. Install Mosquitto on your server
2. The default URL is mqtt://localhost:1883
3. To enable authentication, edit mosquitto.conf:
   • Set allow_anonymous false
   • Configure a password file with mosquitto_passwd
4. For secure connections, configure TLS and use port 8883

HiveMQ Cloud

1. Go to hivemq.com/cloud and create an account
2. Create a free cluster
3. In the cluster credentials, create a username and password
4. The URL will be mqtts://your-cluster.hivemq.cloud:8883

EMQX Cloud

1. Go to emqx.com/cloud and create an account
2. Create a deployment
3. In Authentication, create a username and password
4. Copy the deployment connection URL

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Connection Protocols

Protocol	Port	Description
mqtt://	1883	MQTT without encryption
mqtts://	8883	MQTT with TLS/SSL
ws://	8083	MQTT over WebSocket
wss://	8084	MQTT over WebSocket with TLS

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Troubleshooting

Broker Connection Error

• Verify the broker URL is correct including protocol and port
• Confirm the broker is running and accessible from the network
• Check that the firewall allows connections to the broker port

Authentication Error

• Verify the username and password credentials
• If the broker allows anonymous connections, leave the fields empty

Not Receiving Messages

• Verify the topic subscription is correct
• Check the configured QoS levels
• Confirm another client is publishing to the same topic

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Security

• Always use TLS/SSL (mqtts://) for production connections
• Configure authentication with username and password
• Implement Access Control Lists (ACL) on the broker
• Use hierarchical topic structures for granular permission control
• Do not expose the MQTT broker to the Internet without authentication
• Monitor active connections from the broker panel
• Limit publish and subscribe permissions per user