There is one inevitable question that is raised when developing Internet of Things devices - "What is the right messaging protocol?"

There are several variables at play in selecting a messaging protocol, such as energy consumption, bandwidth requirements, latency, and longevity (since nobody wants to invest in an obsolete protocol). The correct protocol depends very much on the type of application. However, historically MQTT has sustained the highest market share.

MQTT (Message Queue Telemetry Transport) is lightweight, uses the reliable TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), and has features beneficial to IoT devices. It is also a mature protocol developed by IBM and Eurotech, with many client and server implementations.

MQTT works on a pub/sub architecture. A client subscribes to a channel on a server, and when the server receives new information for that channel, it pushes it out to the device.

In terms of market share, MQTT is widely adopted because of its flexibility, applicability across varying levels of latency, and simple implementation.

In addition to MQTT, six other messaging protocols are commonly used in leading IoT cloud platforms.