# Cirrus Link MQTT Recorder Module - What is the difference between this and using the Tag Historian module? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Created:** [April 4, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/cirrus-link-mqtt-recorder-module-what-is-the-difference-between-this-and-using-the-tag-historian-module/72060 "2023-04-04T23:41:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nminchin](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/nminchin/32/6911_2.png) [@nminchin](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/nminchin)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/cirrus-link-mqtt-recorder-module-what-is-the-difference-between-this-and-using-the-tag-historian-module/72060/1 "2023-04-04T23:41:58Z")
I recently saw this in the module list, but it sounds very much like what you would get if you just enable history on the MQTT tags themselves, only for 4.2x the price. What am I missing? > **[SCADA system - MQTT Software for IIoT - Cirrus Link Solutions](https://cirrus-link.com/mqtt-software-for-iiot-scada/#)** > > SCADA system. Cirrus Link Solutions designed MQTT Modules for Ignition for the integration of data building IIoT and SCADA system solutions. ---
**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 11:48pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/cirrus-link-mqtt-recorder-module-what-is-the-difference-between-this-and-using-the-tag-historian-module/72060/2 "2023-04-04T23:48:57Z")
Don't know for sure, but it looks like it's a straight pipe from MQTT into a DB, no tags or tag history in between. > **[Application Note: MQTT Recorder Module - Cirrus Link](https://cirrus-link.com/application-note-mqtt-recorder-module/)** > > The MQTT Recorder module receives a block of data from an MQTT Server and enters it as a record into a database table. For years data has been created in PLC’s, RTU’s and HMI’s that represent a record of information such as a ticket for a... I don't know what a RECORD object is... ---
**Author:** ![nminchin](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/nminchin/32/6911_2.png) [@nminchin](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/nminchin)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 11:51pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/cirrus-link-mqtt-recorder-module-what-is-the-difference-between-this-and-using-the-tag-historian-module/72060/3 "2023-04-04T23:51:53Z")
It seems very expensive if that's all it does... 🤷‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 11:52pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/cirrus-link-mqtt-recorder-module-what-is-the-difference-between-this-and-using-the-tag-historian-module/72060/4 "2023-04-04T23:52:38Z")
Software is funny like that. You can charge whatever people will pay 🤷‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![nminchin](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/nminchin/32/6911_2.png) [@nminchin](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/nminchin)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 11:53pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/cirrus-link-mqtt-recorder-module-what-is-the-difference-between-this-and-using-the-tag-historian-module/72060/5 "2023-04-04T23:53:16Z")
But we can just use the Tag Historian which is 4x cheaper. Very strange ---
**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 11:57pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/cirrus-link-mqtt-recorder-module-what-is-the-difference-between-this-and-using-the-tag-historian-module/72060/6 "2023-04-04T23:57:06Z")
My theory: special order in response to a specific customer demand, charged a premium for the inconvenience, and are offering up the module in case anyone else has this specific need. This is a totally uninformed guess and I have no special insight into what this actually is or why. ---
**Author:** ![gnguyen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/41988e/32.png) [@gnguyen](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/gnguyen)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 5:36am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/cirrus-link-mqtt-recorder-module-what-is-the-difference-between-this-and-using-the-tag-historian-module/72060/7 "2023-04-05T05:36:36Z")
Specific data blocks with soe and history time stamped at the field equipment level, I guess, for oil & gas flow meter. We have same kind of specific rtu here in France for water (Lacroix SOFREL) and we developed and validated the driver, but not at this price level ! Maybe we should. But water is not oil… ---
**Author:** ![mgrishaber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9c0ed/32.png) [@mgrishaber](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/mgrishaber)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2024, 11:48pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/cirrus-link-mqtt-recorder-module-what-is-the-difference-between-this-and-using-the-tag-historian-module/72060/8 "2024-10-14T23:48:48Z")
Sorry for reviving this old thread but I'm using this module since it was cheaper to add this to a central install of Ignition already running MQTT Engine rather than converting the 60-ish remote sites running Ignition Edge to standard Ignition to get SQL Bridge like functionality that doesn't require modification as the number of sites expands. Might be a niche application of this though. ---
**Author:** ![Andre\_Hennecke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e95f7d/32.png) [@Andre\_Hennecke](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Andre_Hennecke)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 7:41am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/cirrus-link-mqtt-recorder-module-what-is-the-difference-between-this-and-using-the-tag-historian-module/72060/9 "2025-06-10T07:41:23Z")
Although this is an old thread and I may be missing something regarding this type of architecture, to the best of my knowledge, I agree with the previous post. MQTT Recorder looks like the best/cost-effective solution for writing relational data (e.g., product-related measurements) to a database in Ignition—particularly when a buffering mechanism is needed at the edge due to unreliable network connectivity and data loss is not acceptable.