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How to get data into an nRF Cloud project

Devices send data to nRF Cloud as opaque chunks in a compact binary format that is transport-agnostic. Chunks carry reboot events, metrics, coredumps, and logs, and they can be transmitted over any link with a maximum transmission unit (MTU) of 9 bytes or greater. nRF Cloud exposes HTTPS and CoAP endpoints for devices that are directly connected to the internet, and provides a GATT service and SMP group for simplified data retrieval over Bluetooth LE connections.

Project association

When building your firmware with nRF Cloud support, a project key is specified to route data and requests within nRF Cloud. The project key is a string specific to a particular nRF Cloud project and identical for the whole fleet. It can be found in the project’s settings.

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The project key is not the same as an API key, and is not considered a secret. It can, however, be rotated by the nRF Cloud team if you suspect misuse. nRF Cloud uses User API keys and Organization Auth Tokens (OATs) for operations requiring higher authentication. These are considered secrets. For more information, see Project Keys (aka Data Routes) and Organization Auth Tokens in the nRF Cloud docs.

When the device forwards chunks to the cloud, it will include the project key in the message. On HTTPS and Bluetooth LE, there is no further authentication besides the project key.

On CoAP, the device is associated with a project as part of the claiming process, and therefore does not require a project key. This enables authentication via a device-specific public/private key pair. Then, nRF Cloud will use the device ID to perform a project lookup.

Device identification

Each device in nRF Cloud has a device identifier (device ID), which is included in the chunk forward message to attribute data to a specific device. These identifiers can be unique chip IDs, serial numbers, IMEIs, MAC addresses, or something custom. The device identifier must be unique within one project.

For Nordic Bluetooth LE devices, the device ID reported to nRF Cloud defaults to the Bluetooth LE device address (Bluetooth LE MAC address). For Nordic cellular devices, the device ID defaults to the UUID stored in the modem. For CoAP-connected devices, this UUID is required for the authentication provided with the CoAP connection. For the Nordic Wi-Fi devices, the device ID defaults to the host FICR hardware id, but can also be set to the Wi-Fi MAC address.

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The device ID uniquely identifies a device in nRF Cloud for data routing and OTA update queries. This device ID can be the same serial number your team uses for identifying devices, but it does not have to be. Any additional metadata your team might want to attach to devices can be imported into nRF Cloud as Attributes.

Build identification and symbol files

To be able to process the chunks of your device, you need to upload a symbol file for the exact software version used on the device. For nRF Connect SDK projects built via the Zephyr-provided GNU toolchain, this symbol file is in the common ELF format. For nRF Connect SDK-based applications using sysbuild (the default), the .elf file corresponding to your build is under build/<application name>/zephyr/zephyr.elf. The file contains a GNU Build ID, which nRF Cloud uses to associate the right symbol file with the uploaded chunk data.

Checking the Processing Log

A few seconds after a chunk is uploaded to nRF Cloud, it is processed and appears in the Processing Log under Data Ingestion. Any new data received and processed by nRF Cloud will appear in the Processing Log. In the Log column, you can expand an entry and click Inspect payload to have a closer look.

Processing Log entry for a metric report

Any errors during processing will also appear here, and provide some information to help diagnose the issue. For example, if a symbol file is missing when a metric payload or a trace is received, an error will be logged here with a prompt to upload the matching symbol file.

(Optional) in the nRF Cloud sandbox

Navigate to the Processing Log. Find out how many metric reports nRF Cloud has received from the device MFLT0000001 in the last 24 hours. Inspect the most recent payload, and identify its duration.

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