Kybfarm (Kybfarm Embed)
Summary
Kybfarm Embed (github.com/mfuglum/kybfarm) is an open-source Internet of Things platform framework for vertical farming (VF), published with a formal software manual in the repository. The architecture deliberately separates concerns: containerization provides modularity and scalability on the server side, while dedicated interfaces on the edge side control actuators (e.g., grow-lamp and relay initialization modules) and acquire sensor data. Both server and edge code live in one repository, with a single environment file carrying common parameters and dedicated directories for server- and edge-specific code — a structure designed so research groups can stand up a full vertical-farm telemetry and control stack without stitching together unrelated tools. The framework emerges from academic vertical-farming research (the manual is written in a paper-like style with LaTeX-formatted listings), making it well suited to university controlled-environment-agriculture labs that want a real, extensible platform rather than a toy. License: MIT. Actively maintained, with pushes through July 2026.
Guiding Principles
- Open Source — MIT-licensed research infrastructure, published so other VF labs can adopt and extend it.
- Modularity — containerized server services plus per-device edge modules; one environment file parameterizes a whole deployment.
- STEM Integration — a living bridge between software engineering (containers, IoT protocols) and plant-production research.
- Transferable Skills — the exact server/edge split used in commercial AgTech and industrial IoT.
Learning Outcomes & Transferable Skills
Students and researchers build Coding skill across the IoT stack (Python edge modules, containerized services, environment-driven configuration), Systems Thinking (vertical farm as a coupled sensor–actuator–data system), Data Literacy (structured telemetry from grow environments), and Project Management (standing up multi-service infrastructure). Educators gain a realistic platform for controlled-environment agriculture coursework.
How to Replicate or Build On It
- Clone
https://github.com/mfuglum/kybfarmand read the software manual in the repo first — it is the authoritative guide. - Configure the shared environment file, then bring up the containerized server stack.
- Study
edge/src/actuator_instances/(e.g., grow-lamp and relay initialization) and the sensor-side equivalents as templates for your own devices. - Add a new actuator or sensor by mirroring an existing instance module; keep parameters in the common environment file.
Considerations & Constraints
- Cost: Software free (MIT); hardware cost depends on the vertical farm being instrumented (lights, relays, sensors, host machines).
- Skill Level: Advanced — Docker/containerization, Python, and IoT concepts assumed.
- Space/Climate: Targets indoor vertical farms and controlled-environment research chambers.
- Tools Required: Docker-capable host, edge computers (SBC-class), sensors/actuators per deployment.
- Ongoing Maintenance: Container stack upkeep plus instrumentation calibration; small user base means self-support.
- Access Barriers: Academic writing style may be dense for hobbyists; small community (2 stars at verification); English only.
Prerequisites
Docker and Python fluency; familiarity with IoT sensor/actuator concepts.
