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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about getting started with Expanso.

Setup & Installation

How long does it take to set up Expanso?

You can have your first pipeline running in about 5 minutes. This includes creating a cloud account, deploying an agent, and building a simple pipeline. The agent installation and bootstrap process typically completes in under a minute.

Do I need to install any software on my infrastructure?

Yes, you need to install the Expanso Edge agent on your infrastructure. It's a lightweight binary that runs on Linux, macOS, or Windows. You can also run it in Docker containers. The edge agent is the only component you need to install - everything else is managed through Expanso Cloud.

Can I test Expanso without deploying to production?

Absolutely! You can use Local Mode to run pipelines standalone without any cloud connection. This is perfect for development and testing. You can also deploy nodes to non-production environments and test pipelines there before promoting to production.

Operations

What happens if my node goes offline?

If a node goes offline, Expanso Cloud will mark it as disconnected and stop sending new jobs to it. Any running pipelines on that node will stop. When the node comes back online, it will automatically reconnect to the control plane and resume executing its assigned pipelines.

How do I update my pipelines after deployment?

You can update pipelines anytime through the Expanso Cloud UI. Simply edit the pipeline configuration and redeploy. The node will receive the updated configuration and apply it automatically, typically with zero downtime using rolling updates.

Need More Help?

Troubleshooting Guide - Solutions to common issues
Core Concepts - Understand how Expanso works
Support: Contact us at [email protected]

Setup & Installation​

Operations​

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Setup & Installation

Operations

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