Smarter, More Secure, and Scalable Event-Driven Architectures
Azure Event Grid continues to evolve with new capabilities in General Availability and Public Preview – intended to help you enhance performance, security, and interoperability in modern event-driven systems. These enhancements strengthen Azure Event Grid’s foundational messaging layer for distributed systems—supporting real-time telemetry, automation, and hybrid workloads.
With support for advanced MQTT features and flexible authentication models, Event Grid now offers:
- Stronger security posture through OAuth 2.0 and Custom Webhook authentication
- Operational efficiency with static client identifiers and message retention
- Broader integration across devices, applications, and cloud services
General Availability Features
Authenticate MQTT clients using JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) issued by any OpenID Connect (OIDC)-compliant identity provider. This enables seamless integration with Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), custom identity platforms, or third-party IAM solutions.
MQTT Custom Webhook Authentication
Use external webhooks or Azure Functions to dynamically validate client connections. Authorize using shared access signatures (SAS), API keys, custom credentials, or X.509 certificate fingerprints. This is a powerful feature for scenarios requiring granular control across large, dynamic fleets of devices or multitenant environments.
MQTT Assigned Client Identifiers
Assign deterministic, pre-approved client identifiers to MQTT clients. This enables enhanced session continuity, better device tracking, simplified diagnostics, and improved auditability—critical for managing long-lived connections and operational visibility in regulated industries. Assign deterministic, pre-approved client identifiers to MQTT clients. This enables enhanced session continuity, better device tracking, simplified diagnostics, and improved auditability—critical for managing long-lived connections and operational visibility in regulated industries.
First Class integration with Fabric
Route MQTT messages and Cloud Events from Event Grid Namespace to Fabric Event Streams for real-time analytics, storage, visualization of IoT data without having to hop thru Event Hub.
Public Preview Features
Bridge traditional HTTP-based applications into event-driven ecosystems by allowing HTTP clients to publish messages directly to Event Grid topics. This enables RESTful services, legacy systems, and webhooks to participate in real-time event workflows, complementing MQTT and cloud-native integrations.
Support for retained MQTT messages allows clients to receive the latest value on a topic immediately upon subscription—without waiting for the next publish. This is particularly useful in IoT telemetry scenarios, stateful dashboards, and device shadow synchronization. Retained messages are stored per topic with configurable expiry and can be cleared on demand.
Unlocking Smart Factory Insights with Sparkplug B on Azure Event Grid MQTT Broker
In the age of Industry 4.0, factories are becoming smarter, more connected, and increasingly data driven. A key enabler of this transformation is Sparkplug B, an MQTT-based protocol purpose-built for industrial IoT (IIoT). And now, with Azure Event Grid MQTT Broker, Sparkplug B comes to life in the cloud—securely, reliably, and at scale.
What is Sparkplug B?
Think of Sparkplug B as the common language for industrial devices. It defines how sensors, gateways, and SCADA systems talk to each other—sharing not just telemetry data (like temperature or RPM) but also device lifecycle information such as when a machine comes online (BIRTH) or goes offline (DEATH).
Why it Matters for Manufacturers
- Real-time factory monitoring – View live machine vitals across distributed plants.
- Predictive maintenance – Anticipate failures by analyzing trends.
- Seamless SCADA integration – Auto-discover tags in systems like Ignition SCADA with Cirrus Link.
- Edge-to-cloud bridge – Bring legacy factory systems into Azure for analytics, AI, and automation.
Azure Event Grid MQTT Broker + Sparkplug B
With Azure Event Grid MQTT Broker, manufacturers can run Sparkplug B workloads with enterprise-grade reliability. A connected factory floor where insights flow seamlessly from edge devices to cloud-unlocking efficiency, uptime, and innovation using the following capabilities:
- QoS 1 for reliability (at-least-once delivery).
- Last Will & Testament (LWT) for real-time device state awareness.
- Retained messages to ensure new subscribers always see the last known good value.
- Native support for binary Sparkplug payloads over secure TLS.
From Factory Floor to Cloud Insights
- Sensors measure machine temperature and RPM.
- Edge gateways publish Sparkplug B messages to Azure Event Grid MQTT Broker.
- Ignition SCADA with Chariot Cirrus Link auto-discovers and displays these tags.
- Azure Data Explorer or Fabric ingests the same data for real-time dashboards, predictive analytics, or automated alerts.
Ready to Get Started?
Microsoft