Prerequisites

Before we get started, let's list some of the items that are required for you to follow along:

Technicals

Ability Edge VM

To run the device, we will need the Ability Edge framework. Since you probably do not have a spare edge device, you can download a virtual machine image that was prepared for Edge-related development. You can find it here.

Node.JS

The tutorial applications (both web application and Edge module) were built with Node.JS (version 14.11.0). To create them, you need to install Node.JS on your system.

Docker

You need to have Docker installed on your machine, since we will be building an Ability Edge module. Every module needs to be dockerized.

Git Bash (Windows)

If you're running Windows, it is recommended that you install Git for Windows. All the commands that are part of this tutorial series have been tested with that package installed. If you're running Linux-based OS or macOS, you don't have to worry about that. Bash (or some other compatible shell, i.e. zsh) should come preinstalled.

Platform Access

Ability Platform is accessible only from a Virtual Network peered with the Platform. Development instances additionally have an option to be accessed using Ability VPN. Make sure that you are able to access Ability APIs from your development environment.

TIP

If you are an Ability Sandbox user, do not worry about this point - VNet peering is already done for you on the level of the reverse proxy that you are connecting with.

Knowledge

Other than that, a basic understanding of:

• Node.JS development,
• component-based JavaScript frameworks (we'll be using Vue.JS),
• Azure Platform concepts
• Docker
• Linux command-line

would be nice to have.

TIP

The complete solution is available at Codebits, so you can always check it out in case of doubts.