# Ignition Edge or Ignition for a small HMI/supervisory?

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/ignition-edge-or-ignition-for-a-small-hmi-supervisory/102363>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [February 14, 2025, 11:58am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/ignition-edge-or-ignition-for-a-small-hmi-supervisory/102363 "2025-02-14T11:58:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Stratus](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/stratus/32/72673_2.png) [@Stratus](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Stratus)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 11:58am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/ignition-edge-or-ignition-for-a-small-hmi-supervisory/102363/1 "2025-02-14T11:58:22Z")

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I am new to Ignition and have never used it before (used some other packages in the past, such as InTouch / Citect), but looking currently for a small, modern HMI package for a control panel.  
It should be a standalone (non-redundant) device running on an embedded Windows PC fitted in the panel.

I will need the following functionality:

- two slave devices (flow computers) talking Modbus TCP,
- a number of displays for process data, calculated values, totalizers, etc.,
- a couple of trend displays.  
From what I have seen, Ignition Edge should suffice in this instance.

However, I may also need the following functionality on top:

- PDF reporting (hourly / daily reports to be generated with totalizer values and averages, etc.),
- Modbus TCP or Modbus RTU handoff to an external system, so the Ignition package should act as a Modbus slave.

Does it mean I would need to go for the full-blown Ignition with custom modules, i.e. the Reporting module and 3rd party Modbus module (to support slave functionality)?

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**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 1:04pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/ignition-edge-or-ignition-for-a-small-hmi-supervisory/102363/2 "2025-02-14T13:04:05Z")

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Ignition Edge doesn't support any database access, and only holds data for 35 days (at most). Edge is not commonly deployed without a central standard gateway to which to push permanent history. I don't know if you can run the Reporting module on it.

Modbus slave functionality is available in a 3rd party module (mine, fwiw) and in an open source project. (The latter not available in Edge, and not supporting RTU, but likely to become part of the platform eventually.)