Alex2Node

Alex2Node is a lightweight Node.js library for integrating devices with Amazon Alexa smart home APIs using MQTT. The library simplifies the process of creating Alexa-compatible devices using Alex2MQTT instead of an Alexa Skill directly.

For more details on how to configure Alex2MQTT, visit Alex2MQTT Documentation.

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Features

• Supports "All" Alexa smart home capabilities.
• Simplifies Alexa device integration with MQTT.
• Event-driven architecture for handling Alexa directives.
• Easily configure devices and their capabilities via simple API.

What is new in 1.5.1

• A broker outage no longer crashes your process. 1.4.0 emitted error unconditionally, and Node terminates a process that has an unhandled error event, so every reconnect failure killed the host. 1.5.1 emits error only when you listen for it, keeps reconnecting on its own (mqtt.js, 1 s), and reports connect, offline, reconnect and close. bridge.connected says where you stand.
• Configurable broker. new Alex2MQTT(user, pass, rootTopic, debug, { host: "mqtt://broker:1883", mqtt: { ... } }) (the default is still the public Alex2MQTT broker). options.mqtt is merged over the mqtt.js client options; options.log replaces the console output.
• Proactive state (ChangeReport). device.getChangeReport(cause) builds an Alexa.ChangeReport: the add*Prop calls describe what changed, .unchanged() switches the following calls to the context, .send() publishes it to <rootTopic>/changeReport, which Alex2MQTT forwards to the Alexa event gateway with your account's token. Register the capability with { proactivelyReported: true } so Alexa accepts it.
• Scenes. Alexa.SceneController discovers correctly (supportsDeactivation), and device.sendSceneResponse(correlationToken, activated) answers Activate / Deactivate with ActivationStarted / DeactivationStarted.
• Device management. unregisterDevice(endpointId), clearDevices(), getDevices(), getDevice(id), disconnect(); discover (device count) and directive ({ endpointId, namespace, name }) events; lastDiscoveryAt. addCapability(type, { retrievable, proactivelyReported, instance }).
• send() on every message returns a promise (resolves with the topic) and no longer logs to the console.
• Tests: npm test runs the library against an in-process MQTT broker (aedes, a dev dependency).

const { Alex2MQTT, AlexaInterfaceType, DisplayCategory, PowerController } = require("alex2node");
const bridge = new Alex2MQTT(user, pass, rootTopic, false, { host: process.env.MQTT_URL });
bridge.on("error", (e) => console.warn("broker:", e.message)); // optional - without it the error is swallowed, never thrown
bridge.on("connect", () => console.log("connected"));
bridge.connect();
const lamp = bridge.registerDevice("Dining Room Light", "5020AA", DisplayCategory.LIGHT);
lamp.addCapability(AlexaInterfaceType.POWER_CONTROLLER, { proactivelyReported: true });
lamp.on("Event", (directive) => { /* ... act, then: */ lamp.getStatusMessage(directive.header.correlationToken, true).addPowerControllerProp(PowerController.ON).send(); });
// later, when the light changes locally:
lamp.getChangeReport("PHYSICAL_INTERACTION").addPowerControllerProp(PowerController.OFF).send();

Quick Start

Installation

You can install Alex2Node via npm:

npm install alex2node

Source: https://git.stormysdream.club/apps/Alex2Node

Then, import it into your JavaScript or TypeScript file:

const { Alex2MQTT, AlexaInterfaceType, PowerController } = require('alex2node');

Make sure to include your MQTT connection credentials via a .env file or directly in the code.

Credentials can be found at https://alex2mqtt.stormysdream.club/ after logging in with amazon.

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Creating a Basic Device

Example: Power Control for a Light

Here’s how to create a simple device that controls a light:

First, create an instance of the Alexa-to-MQTT client and initialize it with your MQTT credentials:

require("dotenv").config(); // Load environment variables from .env file

const { Alex2MQTT, AlexaInterfaceType, PowerController } = require("alex2node");

const username = process.env.MQTT_USERNAME;
const password = process.env.MQTT_PASSWORD;
const rootTopic = process.env.MQTT_ROOT_TOPIC;

const alex2NodeClient = new Alex2MQTT(username, password, rootTopic, false); // 1.5.1: add { host } as a fifth argument for another broker
alex2NodeClient.connect(); // Connect to the MQTT broker

Once initialized, you can begin to add virtual devices. In this example, we will add a PowerController for a light:

const deviceName = "Bedroom Light";
const bedroomLight = alex2NodeClient.registerDevice(deviceName, "endpoint1");

// Add the PowerController capability
bedroomLight.addCapability(AlexaInterfaceType.POWER_CONTROLLER);

// Handle Alexa's ReportState directive to report the current state
let outputState = PowerController.OFF;
bedroomLight.on("ReportState", (payload) => {
  const { correlationToken } = payload;
  const status = bedroomLight.getStatusMessage(correlationToken);
  status
    .addHealthProp("OK")
    .addPowerControllerProp(outputState)
    .send();
});

// Handle Alexa's Event directive to process state changes
bedroomLight.on("Event", (directive, interfaceType) => {
  if (interfaceType === AlexaInterfaceType.POWER_CONTROLLER) {
    const name = directive.header.name;
    const token = directive.header.correlationToken;

    if (name === "TurnOn") {
      outputState = PowerController.ON;
      console.log("Turning ON the Bedroom Light");
    } else if (name === "TurnOff") {
      outputState = PowerController.OFF;
      console.log("Turning OFF the Bedroom Light");
    }

    const status = bedroomLight.getStatusMessage(token, true);
    status
      .addHealthProp("OK")
      .addPowerControllerProp(outputState)
      .send();
  }
});

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Interface Types

Alexa Interface Type	Status
AlexaInterfaceType::ENDPOINT_HEALTH	Fully Supported
AlexaInterfaceType::POWER_CONTROLLER	Fully Supported
AlexaInterfaceType::BRIGHTNESS_CONTROLLER	Fully Supported
AlexaInterfaceType::TOGGLE_CONTROLLER	Fully Supported
AlexaInterfaceType::TEMPERATURE_SENSOR	Fully Supported
AlexaInterfaceType::COLOR_TEMPERATURE_CONTROLLER	Fully Supported
AlexaInterfaceType::AUTOMATION_MANAGEMENT	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::CHANNEL_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::COLOR_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::CONTACT_SENSOR	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::APPLICATION_STATE_REPORTER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::AUDIO_PLAY_QUEUE	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::AUTHORIZATION_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::AUTOMOTIVE_VEHICLE_DATA	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::CAMERA_LIVE_VIEW_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::CAMERA_STREAM_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::COMMISSIONABLE	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::CONSENT_MANAGEMENT_CONSENT_REQUIRED_REPORTER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::COOKING	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::DATA_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::DEVICE_USAGE_ESTIMATION	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::DEVICE_USAGE_METER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::DOORBELL_EVENT_SOURCE	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::EQUALIZER_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::INPUT_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::INVENTORY_LEVEL_SENSOR	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::INVENTORY_LEVEL_USAGE_SENSOR	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::INVENTORY_USAGE_SENSOR	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::KEYPAD_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::LAUNCHER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::LOCK_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::MEDIA_PLAYBACK	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::MEDIA_SEARCH	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::MODE_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::MOTION_SENSOR	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::PERCENTAGE_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::PLAYBACK_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::PLAYBACK_STATE_REPORTER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::PROACTIVE_NOTIFICATION_SOURCE	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::RANGE_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::RECORD_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::REMOTE_VIDEO_PLAYER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::RTC_SESSION_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::SCENE_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::SECURITY_PANEL_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::SEEK_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::SIMPLE_EVENT_SOURCE	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::SMART_VISION_OBJECT_DETECTION_SENSOR	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::SMART_VISION_SNAPSHOT_PROVIDER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::SPEAKER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::STEP_SPEAKER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::THERMOSTAT_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::THERMOSTAT_CONTROLLER_CONFIGURATION	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::THERMOSTAT_CONTROLLER_HVAC_COMPONENTS	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::THERMOSTAT_CONTROLLER_SCHEDULE	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::TIME_HOLD_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::UI_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::USER_PREFERENCE	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::VIDEO_RECORDER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::WAKE_ON_LAN_CONTROLLER	Supported*

(*Partial support or limited implementation advanced configuration is required)

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Contributing

Feel free to submit pull requests or issues for feature requests and bug fixes.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.