About target platforms, product types, and target systems

A project's target platform, product type, and target system determine important things about the project, such as how many tags the project will support and which features can be used during run time.

Target platform

The target platform is the computer and operating system on which the project will run. It is generally either Windows or Embedded:

Windows

A computer that runs one of the following operating systems:

• Windows:

  • Windows 11

• Windows Server:

  • Windows Server 2025

  • Windows Server 2022

• Windows Embedded:

  • Windows 11 IoT Enterprise

The computer needs to have the full AVEVA Edge software installed, even if it will not be used to develop projects, because the full software includes the project runtime. The computer also needs to have an appropriate runtime license key.

All project features are available when Windows is selected as the target platform.

Embedded

A device that runs one of the following operating systems:

• Windows Embedded:

  • Windows 11 IoT Enterprise

• Linux (Debian-based distributions)

The device needs to have the appropriate runtime software installed:

• Embedded HMI for Windows Embedded

• IoT View for Linux

The device also needs to have an appropriate runtime license key.

When Embedded is selected as the target platform, certain project features are not available:

• OPC HDA Server task.

• OPC DA Client task and worksheets.

• Minor graphic features such as support for image formats other than .BMP or .JPG and fill effects for shapes other than rectangle.

• Miscellaneous other built-in functions, as described in the documentation for the Built-in Scripting Language.

For more information about these limitations, see About the software components.

In most cases, if you want to host your project runtime on a Windows Embedded device and you do not plan to develop projects on that device, you should install Embedded HMI on the device and then select Embedded as the target platform. Embedded HMI has lower system requirements than the full software, and it can be installed and managed remotely. Conversely, if you want to use any of the features that are not available when Embedded is selected as the target platform, you need to install the full software on the device and then select Windows as the target platform.

There is not a separate option for IoT View; when you select Embedded as the target platform, your project will be configured to run in both Embedded HMI and in IoT View. However, there are more limitations on projects running in IoT View than there on projects running in Embedded HMI, so you should be aware of the differences before you start to develop your project. For more information, see Supported features in IoT View.

Product type

The product type determines how many tags you can use in the project (including tags shared or imported from other systems). Given the available system resources, Windows computers can typically support far more tags than embedded devices.

The computer or device that will host your project runtime needs to have a license key that matches or exceeds the selected product type. To verify the license key, run Protection Manager (Start > AVEVA> AVEVA Edge2026 > AVEVA Edge2026 Register) on that computer or device. Although you can change both the product type and license key later, we recommend that you verify the license key and then select the correct product type now so that you do not waste time developing a project that uses more tags than you are licensed for. For more information, see Licensing.

Target system

The target platform and product type together determine the target system. You select the target system when you create a new project, and you can also change it later by using the Target System command (on the Project tab of the ribbon).

Target systems for AVEVA Edge projects

Keep in mind that selecting a target system in the project development environment only serves as a guide during development. It automatically limits the number of project tags and hides unsupported features, so that you do not inadvertently develop a project you will not be able to run. The real limits are determined by the runtime license key that is installed on each computer or device.

Also, if you plan to run your project on multiple computers and devices with different license keys, we recommend that you develop for the lowest common target system.