A Survey on Open-Source Edge Computing Simulators and Emulators: The Computing and Networking Convergence Perspective

TL;DR

This survey reviews over 40 open-source edge computing simulators and emulators, analyzing their features, strengths, and limitations to guide researchers in selecting suitable tools for edge environment development.

Contribution

It classifies and evaluates existing open-source edge computing tools across multiple dimensions, emphasizing the convergence of computing and networking paradigms.

Findings

Identifies strengths and limitations of 40+ tools

Classifies tools into packet-level, application-level, and emulators

Highlights integration of computing paradigms and visualization features

Abstract

Edge computing, with its low latency, dynamic scalability, and location awareness, along with the convergence of computing and communication paradigms, has been successfully applied in critical domains such as industrial IoT, smart healthcare, smart homes, and public safety. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of open-source edge computing simulators and emulators, presented in our GitHub repository (https://github.com/qijianpeng/awesome-edge-computing), emphasizing the convergence of computing and networking paradigms. By examining more than 40 tools, including CloudSim, NS-3, and others, we identify the strengths and limitations in simulating and emulating edge environments. This survey classifies these tools into three categories: packet-level, application-level, and emulators. Furthermore, we evaluate them across five dimensions, ranging from resource representation to resource utilization. The survey highlights the integration of different computing paradigms, packet processing capabilities, support for edge environments, user-defined metric interfaces, and scenario visualization. The findings aim to guide researchers in selecting appropriate tools for developing and validating advanced computing and networking technologies.