Hey all,

FlowFuse has built out an agentic solution for AI-powered flow inspection and development called FlowFuse Assistant - and we just released it to the Node-RED community via an open source node!

FlowFuse Assistant brings a ton of features for Node-RED users, including:

- A function builder - Function node Code Lens - JSON generation in all typed inputs and JSON editors (like the inject node, change node, template node, etc) - Flows Explainer - HTML, VUE, and CSS generation in FlowFuse Dashboard ui-template nodes - Context-aware inline and multi-line code completions for functions, templates, and tables

I recently did a video highlighting the release - you can see that here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Osgli5cdWPY.

Try it out, and let us know what you think!

I really think the answer here is human-in-the-loop. Too many people are thinking that AI is a full on drop-in replacement for engineers or managers, but ultimately having it be an augment is the magic. I work at FlowFuse so super biased, but that's something I've really enjoyed with our MCP and Expert Assistant - it's built to help you, not to replace you, so you can ask questions, get insights, etc. faster.

I suppose the tl;dr is if you're generating bugs in your flow and they make it to prod, it's not a tool problem - it's a cultural one.

Was just on a Lufthansa and then United flight - both of which did not have WiFi. Was wondering if there was something going on at the infrastructure level.

Unfortunately that is also be par for the course

What's the inclusivity reasons? I'd be interested in understanding a bit more about that.

This is o-fish-ially my favourite post on HackerNews today.

I really dislike the focus on graphics here, but I think a lot of people are missing big chunk of the article that's focused on efficiency.

If we can get high texture + throughput content like dual 4k streams but with 1080p bandwidth, we can get VR that isn't as janky. If we can get lower power consumption, we can get smaller (and cooler) form functions which means we might see a future where the Playstation Portal is the console itself. I'm about to get on a flight to Sweden, and I'd kill to have something like my Steam Deck but running way cooler, way more powerful, and less prone to render errors.

I get the feeling Sony will definitely focus on graphics as that's been their play since the 90s, but my word if we get a monumental form factor shift and native VR support that feels closer to the promise on paper, that could be a game changer.

That federation piece is super interesting. I'm actually giving a talk in Sweden this week about machine learning/AI training in the age of data sovereignty, and my suggestion was two-fold - better and more widespread adoption of things like Homomorphic Encryption and more federated systems that can distribute access and data in sovereign systems. This is a pretty important evolution in that direction!

I'm extremely interested in this topic. Would you be able to share your presentation?

I guess the bigger question is why use two tools when you can use one? Full disclosure I work at Node-RED/FlowFuse, so take that into consideration, but the point remains - if you need to use both an orchestration tool and a flow management/backend management tool, why not use one solution that does both excellently?

I think that's a critical argument that n8n and others will have to overcome - why should users decide to over-specialise one aspect of their stack when they can do so much more and have so much more control elsewhere?

I use both.. And yes, both handle calls between different APIs.

One for the many, and maybe one for a different audience.

Node-red didn't have a login at the time, and was well geared towards direct IoT type flowing. I loved how I can just jump into the logic and flows.

N8N has a lot of pre-configured connectors.

If Node-red had the pre-configured connectors to different systems as easy as n8n, I think the point here would be even stronger.

It's why I use both. I start with the low level, and if orchestration beyond it is needed, I can tie in another tool if needed.

You could, but then you start getting into additional costs, controlling how much of your metrics are surfaced vs. kept internal, etc. At that point, why not just go for another solution?

Like you could make a car like a truck, but why not just buy a truck in the first place?

It's more like they sell a truck, but disable it remotely if I drive more than 50 miles a day. And I want to drive unlimited miles.

> then you start getting into additional costs, controlling how much of your metrics are surfaced vs. kept internal, etc

I don't know what this means. In my experience with anything sold B2B, all the terms are negotiable. If you want unlimited everything, you can ask for that.

Well that really comes down to how much control the solution actually gives you, right? I'm a DevRel at FlowFuse, so yes - biased - but something like Node-RED can give you wild complexity or pretty simple flows. I think where other solutions miss the mark is in trying to abstract control away too readily for the sake of simplicity and polish.