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Basic Concepts

Entities: Devices, Data Sources, Sites​

The Solytic GraphQL API distinguishes between different entities. Those entities are individual objects that can be created, updated, queried, and deleted.

The three main entities are:

  • Site
  • DataSource
  • Device

Sites​

A site is a single photovoltaic power plant. It is the highest-level entity and needs to be created first before any physical devices can be connected to the Solytic backend.

Access to sites through the Solytic API can be managed using fine-grained access control. It is possible to share sites with certain users or configure various users to be admins or owners of a given site.

Data Sources​

A data source is a virtual object that is responsible to transmit measurement data to the Solytic backend.

A data source logs in to the Solytic backend using its own credentials through one of the means that we provide (HTTP, FTP, ...). After it's logged in, it can transfer the data to the Solytic backend, which will automatically parse it and stores it in the given site in the Solytic backend.

Devices​

A device is a physical object that is part of the photovoltaic (PV) plant. A plant usually consists of many such devices. Devices can have different types, such as:

  • Inverter
  • Sensor
  • DC String

Normally, devices are created automatically whenever necessary by the Solytic backend. This happens right after a data source transmits its data. However, some types of devices (like solar panels) can be added manually through the API if needed, since the Solytic backend cannot automatically detect them.