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Glossary ​

This glossary provides definitions for key terms and concepts used throughout MapexOS documentation.

Applies to v1.0.0 — Terms are organized alphabetically for quick reference.

A ​

Action ​

An operation executed by a Trigger when a Business Rule matches or when routed directly. Actions include HTTP calls, email notifications, Slack messages, and more.

API Key ​

A credential used for machine-to-machine authentication when sending events to MapexOS via the HTTP Gateway.

Asset ​

Any data-producing entity connected to MapexOS. Assets can be IoT sensors, gateways, third-party platform integrations, or webhook producers. Each asset belongs to an Organization and references an Asset Template for payload processing.

Asset Binding ​

The mechanism that maps incoming payloads to specific assets. Supports fixedAssetId (static mapping) and uuidField (dynamic extraction from payload).

Asset Template ​

A reusable integration contract that defines how raw payloads are converted into Standard Events. Templates contain Scripts (decode, validate, transform) and EVA field definitions.

Asset UUID ​

The external device identifier (e.g., devEUI, deviceId) used for routing and lookup. Different from the internal MongoDB ObjectId.

B ​

Business Rule ​

A configured instance of a Rule that binds generic logic to specific parameters, Assets, Organizations, and Actions. Business Rules are evaluated by the Rule Engine.

Bytecode Cache ​

Compiled JavaScript stored at L1 and L2 cache levels. L0 stores script objects directly in memory for maximum performance.

C ​

ClickHouse ​

The columnar database used by the Events Service for high-throughput event storage and analytics. Optimized for append-heavy workloads and time-range queries.

Cooldown ​

A time-based deduplication mechanism in Business Rules that prevents repeated action execution within a specified period.

Core Platform ​

The central governance service responsible for Organization management, user authentication, RBAC, and API key management. Uses MongoDB for storage.

D ​

Data Source ​

The entry point into MapexOS that defines how external systems connect, authenticate, and deliver payloads. Supports HTTP and MQTT protocols in v1.0.0.

Debug Mode ​

An opt-in setting (debugEnabled) on Assets that enables detailed logging of pipeline execution. Disabled by default to optimize storage and throughput.

Decode Script ​

The first Script in the template pipeline. Handles transport encoding such as Base64 decoding, binary parsing, or decompression.

Dynamic Binding ​

An Asset Binding strategy that extracts the asset identity from payload fields using JSONPath expressions (uuidField).

Dynamic Fields ​

See EVA.

E ​

Event ​

The normalized representation of any incoming signal in MapexOS. Events flow through the pipeline and are stored in the Events Service.

Events Service ​

The storage and query service that persists processed events in ClickHouse. Supports EVA queries, TTL retention policies, and multiple event streams.

EVA (Entity-Value-Attribute) ​

A pattern for extracting structured values from heterogeneous payloads into typed fields. EVA enables universal search, UI autocomplete, and flexible indexing without schema migrations.

EVA field types:

  • number — Numeric values (Float64)
  • string — Text values
  • boolean — True/false values
  • date — DateTime values

F ​

Fan-out ​

The routing pattern where a single event is dispatched to multiple destinations simultaneously. Configured via Route Groups.

Fixed Asset Binding ​

An Asset Binding strategy that always maps payloads to a specific, predefined asset.

G ​

Group ​

A collection of Users for simplified permission management. Permissions are assigned to groups rather than individual users.

H ​

HTTP Gateway ​

The primary ingestion service for external integrations via REST APIs. Receives events, validates authentication, applies rate limiting, and forwards to NATS JetStream.

I ​

Isolate ​

See V8 Isolate.

J ​

JS Execution Service ​

The service that executes Asset Template scripts in isolated V8 Isolates. Handles decode, validate, and transform operations with multi-level caching.

JWT (JSON Web Token) ​

A token-based authentication method for user-authenticated requests to MapexOS APIs.

L ​

L0 Cache ​

In-memory (RAM) cache storing compiled script objects directly. Provides sub-millisecond script execution latency with zero compilation overhead.

L1 Cache ​

Local NVMe/SSD cache for warm bytecode. Provides execution latency under 10ms.

L2 Cache ​

Distributed cache (MinIO/S3) for cold bytecode. Enables horizontal scaling with execution latency under 100ms.

Leaf Node ​

A geographically distributed MQTT broker node that connects to the primary MQTT Ingestion cluster.

M ​

Mapex Validator ​

A built-in validation helper ($mv) available in template scripts for schema-like payload validation. Supports type validators, constraints, and presence rules.

Metadata ​

Contextual information attached to events, including asset identity, organization, timestamps, and correlation IDs.

MQTT Ingestion ​

Native MQTT broker service for IoT devices and lightweight clients. Supports MQTT 3.1.1 and 5.0 protocols with QoS 0, 1, and 2.

Multi-tenant ​

MapexOS architecture where multiple Organizations share platform resources while maintaining data isolation and governance boundaries.

N ​

NATS JetStream ​

The messaging backbone for inter-service communication in MapexOS. Provides durability, replay capability, fan-out, and guaranteed message ordering.

O ​

Organization ​

The fundamental tenant boundary in MapexOS. Organizations define ownership, permissions, data retention, and event visibility scope.

Organization types:

  • Vendor — Root organization (top-level tenant)
  • Customer — Client organization under a vendor
  • Site — Physical location
  • Building — Building within a site
  • Floor — Floor level within a building
  • Zone — Specific area within a floor

P ​

PathKey ​

A hierarchical string representing an organization's position in the tenant tree. Optimizes range queries and permission inheritance.

Pipeline ​

The sequence of processing stages that events flow through: Ingestion → JS Execution → Router → Events Service / Rule Engine / Triggers.

Processed Event ​

A Standard Event that has completed the template pipeline and is ready for storage and routing.

Q ​

QoS (Quality of Service) ​

MQTT message delivery guarantees. MapexOS supports QoS 0 (at most once), QoS 1 (at least once), and QoS 2 (exactly once).

R ​

Raw Event ​

The original payload as received before template processing. Stored only when Debug Mode is enabled.

RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) ​

The permission model where Roles define capabilities and are assigned to Users or Groups within an Organization scope.

Retention ​

See TTL.

Role ​

A reusable set of permissions that can be assigned to users or groups. Roles are scoped to specific organizations.

Route Group ​

A configuration that defines how events are distributed to destinations. Route Groups support conditions/filters and multiple simultaneous destinations.

Router Service ​

The central routing engine that distributes processed events to multiple destinations based on Route Groups. Supports fan-out to Events Service, Rule Engine, Triggers, and external systems.

Rule ​

Generic, reusable automation logic that defines conditions without specific parameter values. Rules support simple conditions, grouped conditions (match all/any), and negative logic.

Rule Engine ​

The stateful automation service that evaluates Business Rules against incoming events. Uses Redis for state management and supports counters, cooldowns, and rolling windows.

S ​

Sandbox ​

The isolated execution environment for template scripts. Sandboxes have no network or filesystem access and enforce memory and time limits.

Script ​

JavaScript code (ES6+) executed in the template pipeline. Three script types exist: Decode, Validate, and Transform.

Standard Event ​

The normalized event schema that all sources are transformed into:

ts
{
  eventType: string,    // Classification
  eventId: string,      // Unique identifier
  data: object,         // Normalized payload
  metadata?: object,    // Optional context
  created: string       // ISO 8601 timestamp
}

State ​

Persistent data maintained by the Rule Engine in Redis. State enables counters, flags, cooldowns, and rolling windows for complex automation patterns.

Stream ​

A logical grouping of events in the Events Service. Streams include processed events, raw events, router logs, rule logs, and trigger logs.

System Template ​

An Asset Template provided by MapexOS that is available to all organizations.

T ​

Template ​

See Asset Template.

Transform Script ​

The third Script in the template pipeline. Maps vendor-specific fields to the Standard Event schema.

Trigger ​

An action executor that sends notifications and integrates with external systems. Triggers are invoked by Business Rules or routed directly.

Trigger types:

  • Technical: HTTP, NATS, Kafka, RabbitMQ, WebSocket
  • Communication: Email, Slack, Microsoft Teams

Triggers Service ​

The service responsible for executing Triggers with retry logic, response logging, and template resolution.

TTL (Time-To-Live) ​

Data retention policy that controls how long events remain in storage. Configurable at platform, organization, and stream levels.

U ​

User ​

An individual identity that authenticates and operates the MapexOS platform. Users belong to Organizations and can be members of Groups.

V ​

V8 Isolate ​

An isolated JavaScript execution context provided by the V8 engine. Each script execution runs in its own isolate with memory limits, time limits, and no external access.

Validate Script ​

The second Script in the template pipeline. Enforces data integrity through required field checks, range validation, and schema validation.

Vendor ​

A root-level Organization that represents a top-level tenant in MapexOS.

W ​

Webhook ​

An HTTP callback used to deliver events to external systems. MapexOS can both receive webhooks (via HTTP Gateway) and send webhooks (via Triggers).

Worker Pool ​

The pool of execution threads in the JS Execution Service that process template scripts in parallel.

Z ​

Zone ​

The most granular Organization type, representing a specific area within a floor (e.g., loading dock, storage area).

Acronyms ​

AcronymFull Form
APIApplication Programming Interface
EVAEntity-Value-Attribute
HTTPHypertext Transfer Protocol
IAMIdentity and Access Management
IoTInternet of Things
JWTJSON Web Token
MQTTMessage Queuing Telemetry Transport
NATSNeural Autonomic Transport System
QoSQuality of Service
RBACRole-Based Access Control
RESTRepresentational State Transfer
TLSTransport Layer Security
TTLTime-To-Live
UUIDUniversally Unique Identifier

See Also ​

Business Source License (BSL 1.1)

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