Part 1: Getting Started
This section guides you through setting up your Zephyr development environment and creating your first application.
What You’ll Learn
- What Zephyr RTOS is and when to use it
- Why Zephyr is a great fit for embedded products
- How to install the Zephyr SDK and toolchains
- Setting up the
westmeta-tool for workspace management - Configuring Docker for reproducible builds
- Setting up VS Code for Zephyr development
- Building and running your first Zephyr application
Chapters
| Chapter | Description |
|---|---|
| Introduction | What is Zephyr, history, ecosystem overview |
| Zephyr for Products | Why Zephyr, hardware support, licensing, product considerations |
| Installation | Zephyr SDK installation for Linux/macOS/Windows |
| West Setup | West tool installation and workspace initialization |
| Toolchains | ARM, RISC-V, x86 toolchain configuration |
| Docker Setup | Docker-based Zephyr development environment |
| IDE Setup | VS Code extensions and configuration |
| Hello World | Your first Zephyr application |
Prerequisites
Before starting this section, ensure you have:
- A computer running Linux, macOS, or Windows (with WSL2)
- Administrator/sudo access for installing software
- At least 10GB of free disk space
- Internet connection for downloading tools
Time Estimate
Completing this section typically takes 1-2 hours, depending on your internet speed and familiarity with command-line tools.
If you want to get started quickly without installing everything locally, skip ahead to Docker Setup for a containerized environment.