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The Ignition SCADA file structure

The Ignition SCADA file structure is organized hierarchically within the Gateway installation directory, primarily using JSON files for project configuration starting with version 8.3. This change enables better version control and collaboration though systems like Git.

Core directory structure

The main location for project resources is the data/projects/ directory within your Ignition installation.

  • .../Inductive Automation/Ignition/: The default installation root directory (e.g., C:\Program Files\Inductive Automation\Ignition\ on Windows).
  • .../data/ stores dynamic data, including projects and internal databases.
  • .../data/projects/: Each Ignition project exists in its own folder within this directory. The folder name matches the project name exactly.

Project-level structure

Inside a specific project's folder (e.g., .../data/projects/MyProject/), resources are organized by module and resource type IDs:

  • project.json: A manifest file present in every valid project folder.
  • resources/: A top-level folder in the projects/ directory, typically ignored by the system in favor of individual project folders.
  • moduleID/typeID/: Within a project folder, resources are arranged in a hierarchy that mirrors the Designer’s resource path. This includes a moduleID folder and a typeID folder beneath it.

Resource-level structure

Each resource is stored as a folder, containing at least one file:

  • resource.json: Defines the configuration for the specific resource (e.g., a screen, a script, or other component).
  • Subfolders/Files: Additional files may exist depending on the resource type (e.g., image files for an image library or related scripts).

Other important files/folders

  • ignition.conf: The main gateway configuration file, located in %IgnitionInstallationDirectory%/data/ on Windows.
  • Tags are primarily stored in an internal SQLite database by default, but their configurations can be exported to and imported from JSON files for version tracking and deployment.

This server-centric, web-based deployment model - combined with filesystem-based project storage - provides a flexible and scalable SCADA architecture that is easy to manage and version-control.