Getting Started

Welcome to AnywhereSCADA! This guide walks you through creating your account, setting up your first space, and connecting a device.

Create Your Account

  1. Visit anywherescada.com and click Log In / Sign Up Free
  2. Sign in through Auth0 — you can use Google, GitHub, or email/password
  3. Once signed in you'll land on the Spaces dashboard

No credit card is required. Every account starts with free 8-hour trial windows so you can evaluate the platform at your own pace.

Screenshot: Spaces dashboard showing the list of spaces with Create Space button

What Is a Space?

A space is an isolated project workspace in AnywhereSCADA. Each space has its own:

  • MQTT broker credentials — a unique username (short ID) and auto-generated password
  • Real-time dashboard — live metric values from connected devices
  • Network diagram — visual topology of your Sparkplug B network
  • Members — invite collaborators with role-based access
  • Optional add-ons — Historian, Alarms & Notifications, AI Reports, and more

You can create multiple spaces to separate environments, sites, or customers.

Create Your First Space

  1. From the Spaces dashboard, click Create Space
  2. Enter a name for your space (e.g. "Production Floor", "Lab Test Bench")
  3. Your space is created instantly with a unique short ID and MQTT password

Screenshot: Create Space dialog with name input field

MQTT Credentials

After creating a space you'll see your connection details on the space page:

  • Broker URL: mqtts://mqtt1.anywherescada.joyautomation.com:8883
  • Username: Your space's short ID (e.g. abc1234)
  • Password: Auto-generated (click to reveal and copy)

Screenshot: Space page showing MQTT connection credentials

Keep these credentials handy — you'll need them to connect a device.

Connect Your First Device

AnywhereSCADA uses the Sparkplug B protocol over MQTT. Any Sparkplug B-compliant device or application can connect. Here are a few options:

Option 1: Squid Desktop App (Quickest)

The Squid Desktop App is the fastest way to see data flowing:

  1. Download Squid directly from the Downloads section on your space page, or from GitHub
  2. Sign in with your AnywhereSCADA account
  3. Select your space
  4. Squid publishes demo metrics automatically

Option 2: Tentacle

Tentacle is an open-source edge server with built-in Sparkplug B support. It's ideal for connecting to real hardware via Modbus or other industrial protocols. Download Tentacle from the Downloads section on your space page.

Option 3: Any Sparkplug B Client

Use any Sparkplug B-compliant client library or device:

  1. Configure MQTT connection using the credentials above
  2. Publish Sparkplug B NBIRTH, DBIRTH, and DDATA messages
  3. Metrics appear on your dashboard in real time

See MQTT & Sparkplug B for detailed connection setup and protocol reference.

Trial Sessions

Every free account gets 8-hour active windows:

  • Click Start Trial Session to activate your space
  • All services are live for 8 hours — broker, historian, alarms
  • Connected clients are gracefully disconnected when the window expires
  • Reset and start a new window any time — unlimited resets, no expiration

Screenshot: Trial session banner showing Start Trial Session button and timer

When you're ready for always-on connectivity, upgrade to a Production plan.

Next Steps

Now that your space is set up and a device is connected: