Tool · Modelling
UANodesetWebViewer
| Vendor | Digital Twin Consortium project |
|---|---|
| Cost | Open source |
| Platforms | Browser-based; container image for self-hosting |
| Type | Modelling |
UANodesetWebViewer is a browser-based viewer for NodeSet2 files. You load a nodeset and walk its type hierarchy and instances in a tree without standing up a server, which makes it the quickest way to review a model handed to you or to check what a compiler actually produced.
What you actually use it for
- Reviewing a NodeSet2 file a vendor or colleague sent you, before you agree to implement against it.
- Checking that a compiled nodeset contains the types, components and modelling rules you expected.
- Explaining a model to someone who does not have a client or a server installed.
- Comparing two versions of a companion specification visually when the XML diff is too large to interpret.
- Confirming which namespaces a nodeset depends on before you try to load it into a server.
Walkthrough
- Run it locally rather than uploading models you do not ownA container image is published, so run your own instance. Vendor nodesets are frequently confidential, and pasting one into a hosted service you do not control is an avoidable disclosure.
- Load the nodeset and its dependenciesLoad the base UA nodeset and any companion nodesets the model requires alongside the model itself. References into a namespace you did not load will not resolve, and the tree will look broken when the model is fine.
- Walk the type hierarchy firstLook at the ObjectTypes before the instances. What a model means lives in its types; the instances are one vendor's arrangement of them.
- Check modelling rules on componentsConfirm which components are Mandatory and which Optional. This is the single most useful thing to establish early, because it tells you what your client is entitled to assume exists.
- Note the namespace URI and model versionRecord both, and quote them in any specification or ticket. A model discussion that says only the model's name will eventually cost someone a day.
- Move to a real server for anything behaviouralThe viewer shows structure, not behaviour. Values, StatusCodes, methods, events and history need a running server and a client.
What it will not do
- Static view only: no live values, no methods, no events, no subscriptions.
- It shows you what a nodeset declares, not whether any product implements it.
- References into namespaces you have not loaded appear unresolved, which can look like a defect in the model.
- Handling of very large nodesets in a browser is limited.
- Project activity and container packaging need checking before you build a review process on it.
Alternatives
| Instead of this | When |
|---|---|
| uamodeler | When you need to edit the model rather than read it, and want a fuller graphical view. |
| opcua-modeler | An open-source editor that also opens nodesets for inspection. |
| uaexpert | When the model is already loaded into a running server and you want to inspect the live address space instead. |
Verify before you rely on this: Project maintenance status, the container image location and whether a public hosted instance is currently offered all need checking in the repository. Confirm the hosting arrangement before loading any nodeset you are not free to disclose, and confirm the licence terms if you intend to run it as part of a customer-facing service.
Related status codes
Concepts on this page
Last verified 7 September 2026 against OPC UA 1.05.07. OPC UA Connect is an educational resource and is not affiliated with the OPC Foundation.