RIOT is an open-source microcontroller operating system, designed to match the requirements of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and other embedded devices. It supports a range of devices that are typically found in the Internet of Things (IoT): 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit microcontrollers.
RIOT is based on the following design principles: energy-efficiency, real-time capabilities, small memory footprint, modularity, and uniform API access, independent of the underlying hardware (this API offers partial POSIX compliance).
RIOT is developed by an international open source community which is independent of specific vendors (e.g. similarly to the Linux community). RIOT is licensed with LGPLv2.1, a copyleft license which fosters indirect business models around the free open-source software platform provided by RIOT, e.g. it is possible to link closed-source code with the LGPL code.
- Start here: Our comprehensive Getting Started Guide walks you through installation and your first RIOT applications.
- Learn by doing:
- Try our hands-on tutorials designed for beginners
- Take the RIOT online course at your own pace
- Explore the API: Check out the API documentation for detailed information on RIOT's features and functions.
RIOT is developed by its community, and contributions of all kinds are welcome: code, documentation, bug reports, and reviews. If this is your first time with RIOT consider first following our Getting Started Guides.
- Start here: Our contributing document explains the workflow, commit conventions, and review process.
- Follow the style: Make sure your changes comply with our
coding conventions. You can run
make static-testto check them before opening a pull request. - Declare AI tool usage: All pull requests require a declaration of AI/LLM usage. If you use AI tools, please also read our AI Policy.
All relevant information around contributing to RIOT can also be found in our Developing RIOT Guides.
RIOT provides features including, but not limited to:
- Platforms: 300+ boards based on 8/16/32-bit AVR, MSP430, ARM7, ARM Cortex-M, RISC-V, ESP8266, ESP32 MCUs and more. Multiple native development instances can be interconnected via a virtual Ethernet bridge or a simulated IEEE 802.15.4 network (ZEP).
- Programming environment: Write native code in C, C++, or Rust, relying on POSIX APIs, uniform hardware abstractions, and standard embedded Rust interfaces. Dynamic runtimes include MicroPython, JavaScript, Lua, and WebAssembly (WAMR).
- Packages: A large third-party package ecosystem covering GUIs (LVGL), USB (TinyUSB), machine learning (TensorFlow Lite Micro, emlearn), serialization (Nanopb, FlatBuffers), an embedded database (FlashDB), the Embedded Template Library (ETL), Arduino API compatibility, and compression and parsing (heatshrink, LZ4, jsmn, mjson).
- Networking and protocols: IPv6 and IPv4 (lwIP), 6LoWPAN, IEEE 802.15.4, Ethernet (also via USB), SLIP/ethos, and DOSE (Differentially Operated Serial Ethernet), TCP and UDP, RPL, CoAP, MQTT and MQTT-SN, LwM2M, DNS, DHCPv6, and SNTP, CCN-Lite, and SCHC.
- Wireless: Bluetooth Low Energy via NimBLE, Thread via OpenThread, LoRaWAN, and UWB.
- System: A preemptive, tickless scheduler with priorities and optional round-robin, flexible memory management, high-resolution and long-term timers, an MTD abstraction, file systems, a shell, and the SAUL sensor/actuator registry.
- Security: SUIT OTA updates, the PSA Crypto API, DTLS/TLS (tinyDTLS, Mbed TLS, wolfSSL), EDHOC, OSCORE, and FIDO2.
- Device drivers: SPI, I2C, UART, USB, CAN, RTC, PWM, timers, ADC and DAC, environmental, IMU, magnetometer, particulate matter, and GNSS sensors, servos, motors, dimmers, switches, RGB LEDs, displays, and touchscreens.
You can ask for help on the Forum or on Matrix. Please send bug reports and feature requests to our GitHub issue tracker
- The Forum is the default place to start asking for help. Our Forum provides an archive of prior questions and answers.
- For chat, we use #riot-os:matrix.org on the Matrix chat network.
For how our community is structured and governed, please see our governance document.
RIOT closely collaborates with and inspires other open source projects, e.g., Ariel OS, an IoT OS written in Rust. We are more than happy to collaborate with those who share our vision.
- Most of the code developed by the RIOT community is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) version 2.1 as published by the Free Software Foundation.
- Some external sources, especially files developed by SICS are published under a separate license.
All code files contain licensing information.
For more information, see the RIOT website.