ESP-IDF (Espressif IoT Development Framework) is the official, open-source development framework for programming Espressif SoCs (such as ESP32, ESP32‑S2, ESP32‑C3 series). It provides toolchains, APIs, components, sample code, and workflows for building embedded IoT firmware, offering support for Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, power management, and peripheral integration. As well as the esp-idf-template project mentioned in Getting Started, ESP-IDF comes with some example projects in the examples directory. Install host build dependencies mentioned in the Getting Started guide. Run the export script on Windows (export.bat) or source it on Unix (source export.sh) in every shell environment before using ESP-IDF.
Features
- Comprehensive toolchain and build system (compiler, CMake, flash tools, monitor)
- APIs for networking (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth BLE), power management, peripherals, and RTOS integration
- Command-line utilities and GUI support via VS Code or Eclipse Plugin
- Detailed examples and templates for typical IoT application patterns
- Release support schedule and compatibility mapping with Espressif SoCs across versions
- Supported installation using Windows installer, Linux/macOS shell scripts, or GitHub Action for CI workflows