CoAP over ICN

TL;DR

This paper explores how leveraging Information-Centric Networking (ICN) can enhance CoAP-based IoT communications by reducing complexity and overhead without requiring changes to CoAP endpoints.

Contribution

It demonstrates the integration of ICN with CoAP to improve efficiency and simplify implementation for resource-constrained IoT devices.

Findings

Reduced state management complexity at CoAP endpoints

Simplified implementation of CoAP endpoints

Decreased communication overhead in the network

Abstract

The Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) is a specialized Web transfer protocol for resource-oriented applications intended to run on constrained devices, typically part of the Internet of Things. In this paper we leverage Information-Centric Networking (ICN), deployed within the domain of a network provider that interconnects, in addition to other terminals, CoAP endpoints in order to provide enhanced CoAP services. We present various CoAP-specific communication scenarios and discuss how ICN can provide benefits to both network providers and CoAP applications, even though the latter are not aware of the existence of ICN. In particular, the use of ICN results in smaller state management complexity at CoAP endpoints, simpler implementation at CoAP endpoints, and less communication overhead in the network.