Aedes VS Tasmota

Any reason to not use https://github.com/moscajs/aedes? mqtt is a standard protocol. I see there is an mqtt adapter for kafka, and a broker to translate between systems.

yes, we did it as well. We are using the aedes broker, wrapped inside its own module/service. Here you can find the broker lib https://github.com/moscajs/aedes

Any of the open-source MQTT brokers out there should do the job. I personally use Mosquitto for most of my projects, but RabbitMQ, Aedes or any other broker should all just work.

In Aedes, you can implement topic-level security with the authorizePublish and authorizeSubscribe handlers

aedes: Barebone MQTT server

All of my office devices are connected to Sonoff S31 smart plugs, flashed with Tasmota on their own locked-down VLAN, and can be controlled via voice, Alexa, Tasker automation on my Android, NFC tags at my office door and various scripts triggered via my StreamDeck (on Linux). This all works fantastic, and I can turn on or off my devices, including my printer, when I start or end my day at work.

The best alternative firmware example for true IOT devices is Tasmota [1]. Erase manufacturer firmware for every ESP devices the day after purchase to avoid those careless manufacturer firmwares.

[1] https://tasmota.github.io/docs/

The ESP8266 based Sonoff S31 and ESP32 based Switchbot plugs, both flashed with either Tasmota or ESPHome, are my go-to options for US WiFi smart plugs with power monitoring.

And if you want to turn your ESP8266 into a standalone appliance, with a web interface and directly editable config that doesn't need a build step, Tasmota is another great option.

https://tasmota.github.io/docs/