Overview
OPC UA stands for OPC Unified Architecture. It is an extensible, platform-independent standard that enables the secure exchange of information in industrial systems.
Many people are familiar with the older DCOM-based OPC, now called OPC Classic.
How is OPC UA different than OPC Classic?
- OPC Classic relies on Microsoft technologies while OPC UA is platform independent
- OPC Classic does not have built-in security for access control, authentication, and encryption
- OPC UA implements cross-platform security based on the public key infrastructure (PKI) using industry standard digital certificates
In the industrial software world, many vendors have added support for OPC UA, sometimes in addition to OPC Classic.
