With CircuitPython, there are no upfront desktop downloads needed. Once
you get your board set up, open any text editor, and start editing code.
It's that simple.
CircuitPython is based on Python
Python is the fastest growing programming language. It's taught in schools
and universities. It's a high-level programming language which means it's
designed to be easier to read, write and maintain. It supports modules and
packages which means it's easy to reuse your code for other projects. It
has a built-in interpreter which means there are no extra steps, like
compiling, to get your code to work. And of course, Python is Open Source
Software which means it's free for anyone to use, modify or improve upon.
CircuitPython adds hardware support to all of these amazing features. If you
already have Python knowledge, you can easily apply that to using CircuitPython.
If you have no previous experience, it's really simple to get started!
CircuitPython libraries on single board computers
Most CircuitPython libraries also work on single board computers (SBCs), such as the Raspberry Pi.
Linux runs "desktop" Python (commonly known as CPython) instead of CircuitPython.
Our CPython Blinka library provides CircuitPython's low-level hardware APIs, such as `digitalio`.
Blinka and CircuitPython libraries are just a `pip install` away.
Thanks
CircuitPython wouldn't exist without the awesome work of
Damien George and the MicroPython community.
They did the hard work to reimplement Python on microcontrollers and
continue to push the boundaries of what is possible.
Thank you to Adafruit for
continuing to support CircuitPython's beginner-focused development.
Lastly, thank you to the CircuitPython community members who have spent
time testing, triaging, fixing and enhancing CircuitPython, its libraries
and its documentation. Together we're all making something incredible.