# Modules The **Modules** page in the Designer is where you can browse the [Module Store](/management-portal/designer/modules/module-store.md) to discover, import, and manage modules that extend the platform’s functionality. Modules act as building blocks for connectivity, data processing, storage, and orchestration, making it easier to tailor Nexus to your organization’s specific needs. A **Module** in Nexus is essentially a [**Docker container**](https://www.docker.com/resources/what-container/). This means you can import **any third-party containerized application**, whether it comes from: * A **public container registry** (e.g., Docker Hub), * An **internal registry** hosting company-specific applications, analytics services, or ML workloads (eg. Azure Container Registry) Once imported, modules can be deployed to devices, either as is, or as part of an [application](/management-portal/designer/applications.md) that you configure. This approach gives maximum flexibility: you can use standard Nexus modules provided by Tricloud, or extend the platform with custom functionality tailored to your organizational needs.

Module Store

*** ### Key Capabilities * **Module Store Access**\ Browse a curated catalog of available modules, both internal and external. The [Module Store](/management-portal/designer/modules/module-store.md) allows you to filter by publisher, type, category, or location to quickly find what you need. * **Module Details**\ View details about available modules such as Image name, description, type, available versions, category and location and edit [settings for the modules](/management-portal/designer/modules/module-settings.md). * **Import Custom Modules**\ Add your own custom modules by [importing container images](/management-portal/designer/modules/import-a-new-module.md) from internal or external docker repositories, giving you full flexibility to extend the platform. * **Import new Module Versions**\ You can easily [import new versions](/management-portal/designer/modules/import-new-version-of-module.md) of existing modules to stay up to date with the latest features and security patches. * **Update Management**\ Once a new versions has been imported, you can push the update to the devices that currently un the module using the [Update Center](/management-portal/management/update-center.md), ensuring consistent and secure deployments across your environment. *** ### Types of Modules Modules in Nexus are broadly grouped into these categories: * **Platform Modules** – Core functionality provided by Tricloud, including Nexus Data Connectors and integration modules. * **Custom Modules** – External modules or in-house developed functionality, which can be imported and deployed within Nexus. * **Data Connectors** – Modules that enable connectivity to protocols, message brokers, or streaming services (e.g., MQTT, OPC-UA, Modbus). * **Data Storage & Analytics** – Modules that allow storing and querying large-scale data (e.g., SQLServer, PostgrSQL, InfluxDB , TimescaleDb, LocalBlobStorage). * **Hub / Orchestration** – Modules for Hubs or workflow orchestration (e.g., Kafka, EclipseMosquitto, HiveMQEdge). *** ### Typical Use Cases Here are some common use cases for using the Module Store: * **Import an in-house developed module for data processing**\ Deploy a custom analytics or machine learning module that processes raw sensor data into actionable insights. * **Add supporting infrastructure components**\ Import standard services like SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or Redis Cache to temporarily store or buffer processed data from your custom modules before forwarding it to a central platform. * **Expand connectivity with new Data Collectors**\ Bring in modules that act as Data Collectors for new protocols or devices - for example, adding OPC UA**,** Modbus, or proprietary connectors to enable data ingestion from systems not previously supported. * **Host a local MQTT broker**\ Deploy and host an MQTT broker (such as Mosquitto, HiveMQ or NanoMQ) directly on a site or device to serve as a local Unified Namespace broker, ensuring resilient, low-latency communication even if cloud connectivity is limited. * **Data visualization and monitoring**\ Import services like Grafana or PostgreSQL to provide local dashboards, monitoring, or alerting directly at the edge. * **Simulation and testing**\ Use testing modules that ect as simulators (e.g., simulationg retrieving and sending a data from a new data connector module) to test your architecture, new connectors, or analytics modules before deploying them in production *** ### Next Steps * Browse the [Module Store](/management-portal/designer/modules/module-store.md) * Learn how to [import a new Module](/management-portal/designer/modules/import-a-new-module.md) * Learn how to [import a new Version](/management-portal/designer/modules/import-new-version-of-module.md) of a Module * Learn how to [adjust Module Settings](/management-portal/designer/modules/module-settings.md) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.tricloudnexus.io/management-portal/designer/modules.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.