Groups

Navigation: Team > Application > Groups

Overview

Groups help you organize and manage multiple devices that run the same snapshot configuration. By grouping devices logically, you can deploy updates to dozens or even hundreds of devices simultaneously through DevOps Pipelines.

Key Features

Automatic Updates

• Devices added to an active group automatically receive the current pipeline snapshot
• Devices removed from an active group have their snapshot cleared

Group-Level Environment Variables

• Set environment variables at the group level that apply to all member devices
• Device-specific variables take precedence over group variables
• Variables are merged at runtime without modifying device settings
• Updates to group variables trigger automatic device restarts

Requirements

• FlowFuse 1.15+ (Enterprise Tier)
• FlowFuse Cloud (Enterprise Tier)
• FlowFuse 2.10+ for Group Environment Variables

Creating a Group

1. Navigate to your Application
2. Select the Groups tab
3. Click Add Group
4. Enter a descriptive name for your group
5. (Optional) Add a description to help distinguish between groups
6. Click Create

Managing Group Membership

Adding and Removing Devices

1. Click the group you want to modify from the table
2. Click Edit
3. Review the two lists:
   • Available Devices (left): Devices assigned to your application that can be added
   • Group (right): Devices currently in the group
4. To add devices: Check the boxes next to devices in the Available list, then click Add Devices
5. To remove devices: Check the boxes next to devices in the Group list, then click Remove Devices
6. Click Save
7. Review the confirmation prompt and click Confirm to apply changes

Note: If a device doesn't appear in the Available list, it's likely already assigned to another group.

How Snapshots Are Affected

When Adding a Device

If the group has an active pipeline snapshot, newly added devices will automatically be updated to that snapshot.

When Removing a Device

If the group has an active pipeline snapshot and the device is currently running it, removing the device will clear its snapshot, effectively resetting it to a blank state.

Clearing Group Snapshots

You can remove the target snapshot from a group in the group settings. This will also clear the snapshot from all devices in the group.

Environment Variables

Group-level environment variables follow these rules:

• Precedence: Device variables override group variables
• Scope: Variables are merged at runtime only; device settings remain unchanged
• Removal: Removing a device from a group removes the group's variables from that device
• Updates: Changing group variables triggers a restart of all devices in the group