SCADA System Design
Made Simple

Home / Ignition SCADA Architectures

Server-Centric Web-Based Deployment

One thing that sets Ignition® apart is its server-centric web-based deployment model that empowers you to digitally transform your operations with flexible, scalable SCADA architectures.

With Ignition, you can instantly launch an unlimited number of zero-install, full runtime clients on virtually any device. The central Ignition Gateway can be on one central server or distributed across several servers, located on-premise, in the cloud, or a combination of both. You can even put Ignition all the way out to the edge of the network.


Common Ignition Architectures

A Basic SCADA Architecture Diagram
Scale-Out Architecture Diagram
Hub & Spoke Architecture Diagram
Enterprise SCADA Architecture Diagram
IIoT Architecture Diagram
Cloud Architecture Diagram

Ignition Basic Architecture

Ignition’s most common architecture consists of a single on-premise Ignition server connected to a SQL database, PLCs, and clients.

pdf-download Architecture Diagram

Ignition Scale-Out Architecture

The scale-out architecture links together several Ignition Gateways to form a decentralized system.

pdf-download Architecture Diagram

Are you looking to expand your operations with Ignition? Check out our Scale-Out Starter package.

Ignition Hub & Spoke Architecture

In the hub-and-spoke architecture, multiple local and remote sites are linked together by a central Ignition Gateway.

pdf-download Architecture Diagram

Ignition Enterprise Architecture

With the Ignition enterprise architecture, you can send data from independent local sites and remote sites up to a centralized corporate site and to cloud services.

pdf-download Architecture Diagram

Is your enterprise looking to get started with Ignition? Check out our Enterprise Starter package.

Ignition IIoT Architecture

With the Ignition IIoT architecture you can set up a secure MQTT Message-Oriented Middleware (MOM) infrastructure in the Cloud, on a private on-premise network, or a hybrid of both.

pdf-download Architecture Diagram

Cloud Hybrid Architecture

The Ignition cloud hybrid architecture brings elasticity to operations so you can run Ignition in the cloud, easily add data storage, instantly scale up or down, and integrate with cloud tools like analytics across enterprises.

pdf-download Architecture Diagram

Deploy Anywhere

Deploy Anywhere

Ignition is fully cross-platform and runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. That gives you virtually unlimited deployment options on physical hardware, virtual environments, and managed services; there is even an official Docker Hub image. Here are some of the many devices, services, and systems on which you can deploy Ignition:

Devices

Embedded PCs, Laptops, Desktops, High-Grade Servers, Fog Computing

Virtual Machines & Containers

VMware, Parallels, VirtualBox, Hyper-V, Docker

Unlimited Scalability

Ignition is the ultimate choice for a SCADA system design that can easily scale. In addition to being used for smaller, centrally managed single-server architectures, Ignition scales gracefully for use in larger distributed architectures where one Controller Gateway is used to manage multiple Agent Gateways, or in scale-out architectures where the workload is distributed between multiple Gateways.

Unlimited Scalability
Instant Installs Updates

Instant Installs and Updates

Ignition installs on a server in just three minutes and instantly deploys to an unlimited number of clients to any web-enabled — desktops, panels or even mobile. Updates in Ignition work like magic: just make changes on the server and push them to everyone, instantly, without creating any downtime or taking the system offline.

data handling

Handle Huge Amounts of Data

The tag system in Ignition is optimized for top speed and performance in large enterprise systems. Ignition lets you handle larger amounts of data more easily and quickly than any other solution. You can even make dynamic changes during runtime and update UDTs without slowing down your system.

Easily Manage Large
Multi-Site Projects

Ignition 8 has a new project system that makes it easy to define overarching corporate projects that share resources like windows, scripts, and themes that can be inherited by the local sites. Changes at the top can cascade down to all projects or be overridden and customized at each local site.

Multi-site project diagram
Ignition devices

Ignition Everywhere

Ignition comes with unlimited connections and uses the same code base to run on large cloud servers, small devices like Raspberry Pi, or edge-of-network field devices, so you can connect all your data and devices together on one platform.

With unlimited connections, you can connect all your industrial devices, databases, and business data together so you can drive operational intelligence throughout your enterprise from one central location.


Ron Mayfield

“It’s like building blocks, we have it hooked up to a lot of different things. It’s really easy to use … We use it for everything.”

– Ron Mayfield

Sierra Nevada Brewery


Breweries all over the country trust Ignition with their mission-critical SCADA systems.

Watch the case study arrow icon

Talk to a Design Consultant Today

Request demo

Some of the companies that depend on Ignition: