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updatedAt: 2026-04-15T07:06:17.000Z
agentTools:
  projectIndex: https://developer.easee.com/llms.txt
---

# Introduction

Learn what OCPP is, why it matters, and how operators, EMSPs, and back-office systems fit together.

## Overview

OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol) is the standard that lets a charging station (EVSE) communicate with a central system (CSMS). Easee’s Cloud OCPP implementation is based on **OCPP 1.6 2nd Ed** from the [Open Charge Alliance](https://www.openchargealliance.org/). All dates and timestamps in the OCPP layer use **UTC** and follow the **ISO 8601** standard.

<Image align="center" width="80%" src="https://files.readme.io/fe21635-OCPP-1.jpg" />

## Why OCPP

OCPP gives you a standard way to connect chargers and management software from different vendors. This makes it easier to scale your network, avoid vendor lock-in, and keep your setup flexible over time.

* **Interoperability:** Use chargers and central systems that speak the same protocol.
* **Flexibility:** Change hardware or software providers without rebuilding your setup.
* **Operational control:** Support remote actions, authentication, load management, and session monitoring.

## Key roles

The terms below often appear together, but they describe different parts of the charging ecosystem.

* **CPO (charge point operator):** Operates and maintains charging infrastructure.
* **CPMS (Charge Point Management System):**  The system that chargers connect to in order to monitor, send commands and manage the network through OCPP.
* **EMSP (e-mobility service provider):** Provides driver-facing services such as payments, billing, and station discovery.
* **Operator in Easee:** In the Easee Portal, the operator shown in the dropdown is the provider operating the chargers.

One company can take on more than one role. For example, a business can act as both a CPO and an EMSP.

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## OCPP integration with Easee

If you build EV charging stations or central management systems and want to control chargers through OCPP, start here: [Ready to integrate](https://developer.easee.com/docs/ready-to-integrate-fast-track)

If you want more detail about setup and management flows, continue with the use case guides.