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On one side, we have , the gold standard for industrial programmable logic controllers (PLCs). It is reliable, deterministic, and governed by strict IEC 61131-3 standards. It is the language of the factory floor—handling sensors, actuators, and safety logic with millisecond precision.
This is the most performant method, typically used when the CODESYS SoftPLC (e.g., CODESYS Control for Linux ) and ROS2 run on the same hardware platform.
: Writing custom C++ drivers that handle the hardware mapping in a way that remains compatible with ROS2's communication. Getting Started with ROS2 Topics codesys ros2
Provides the "higher-level" intelligence, including computer vision, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), and path planning. ROS 2 is designed for distributed systems and asynchronous communication using the Data Distribution Service (DDS) middleware. 2. Common Integration Methods
The most industrial method involves OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture). CODESYS has built-in OPC UA servers. ROS2 nodes can act as OPC UA clients to read and write variables directly to the PLC. On one side, we have , the gold
Integrating CODESYS and ROS 2 provides a powerful solution for modern robotics and automation. The key takeaways are:
To understand why this integration is challenging, one must understand the fundamental difference in philosophy. This is the most performant method, typically used
A year earlier, the company had bought a heterogeneous fleet: articulated arms for welding, mobile platforms for parts delivery, and a set of inspection drones to chase defects down narrow aisles. They weren’t cheap. They ran ROS 2 under the hood—publishers and subscribers, nodes and topics—an open-source brain built for distributed robotics. The fleet was brilliant at autonomy, but it lived in a different language than the plant. Where CODESYS spoke IEC 61131 and deterministic cycles, ROS 2 spoke asynchronous messages and Quality of Service policies. For weeks, the two worlds passed each other like ships in fog—each efficient in isolation, each unable to fully leverage the other.
The integration of CoDeSys and ROS 2 represents a significant milestone in the evolution of industrial automation. By combining the strengths of CoDeSys in industrial control with the flexibility and modularity of ROS 2, developers can create powerful and scalable control applications that leverage the best of both worlds.