What is Expanso and how does it work?

Expanso is a managed platform for deploying intelligent data pipelines at the edge. It processes data where it's generated - reducing bandwidth, latency, and costs. You deploy lightweight agents on your infrastructure, build pipelines using our visual builder or YAML, and control everything from a central SaaS platform.

Can I run AI/ML models directly in my data pipelines?

Yes! Expanso supports running ONNX, TensorFlow Lite, and other models as native pipeline steps. Execute low-latency inference on streaming data, enrich events with model outputs (like risk scores), and make decisions at the edge without cloud round-trips.

How many pre-built components are available?

Expanso provides 200+ pre-built components including inputs (Kafka, HTTP, files), processors (transformations, filtering, PII masking, aggregations), and outputs (S3, Snowflake, Datadog, Splunk). Browse the complete catalog in our Component Reference.

Do I need to write code to build pipelines?

No - use our drag-and-drop visual pipeline builder to create sophisticated pipelines without code. For advanced use cases, you can also write pipelines in YAML or use the Bloblang transformation language for complex data mappings.

How does Expanso help with data governance and compliance?

Expanso includes built-in governance features: automatic PII detection and masking, policy enforcement at the edge, RBAC, SSO integration, and comprehensive audit trails. Mask sensitive data before it ever leaves your network.

Architecture

Understand how Expanso's control plane and edge nodes work together.

System Overview

Expanso Control Plane

The central management interface hosted at cloud.expanso.io.

Responsibilities:

Pipeline creation and configuration
Node deployment and monitoring
Metrics aggregation and visualization
User authentication and authorization
Network management

You don't run this - it's a managed service provided by Expanso. Enterprise customers can run an on-prem orchestrator.

Edge Nodes

The runtime that executes pipelines on your infrastructure.

Characteristics:

Lightweight binary (150MB)
Runs on Linux, macOS, Windows
Connects to control plane (Expanso Cloud or local orchestrator) over TLS
Executes one or more pipelines
Reports metrics and health

Deployment locations:

Bare metal servers
Virtual machines
Docker containers
Kubernetes pods
IoT devices and gateways

Data Flow

Where Data Lives

Edge nodes:

Read from local data sources
Process data locally
Write to local or cloud destinations

Expanso Control Plane:

Stores pipeline configurations
Receives metrics and health data
Does NOT process your data

Your sensitive data never goes through the Expanso Control Plane - it flows directly from edge sources to edge destinations.

Communication

Node → Control Plane:

TLS-encrypted connection
Sends: metrics, health, logs
Receives: pipeline configs, commands

Data → Data:

Direct connection from source to destination
No intermediary (unless you configure one)
Full control over data routing

What's Next?

👉 Core Concepts - Overview of key concepts

👉 Quick Start - Deploy your first pipeline

👉 Build Your First Pipeline - Step-by-step tutorial

System Overview​

Expanso Control Plane​

Edge Nodes​

Data Flow​

Where Data Lives​

Communication​

What's Next?​