RIOT

Free

A free OS for IoT devices providing foundational trust services. The trust services include device identity, sealing, attestation, and data integrity. The term “Robust” is used because the minimal trusted computing base is tiny, and because RIoT capabilities can remotely re-establish trust in device

FreeFree tier

Type

Open Source

Visit Website GitHub (38 stars)

About RIOT

RIOT is a free, open-source operating system designed for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Known as 'The friendly OS for IoT,' it is developed by a large community and hosted on GitHub. RIOT supports a wide range of microcontrollers and provides a lightweight, energy-efficient runtime for embedded applications. The project includes extensive tutorials, course materials, Docker-based build environments, and Rust language bindings through the rust-riot-wrappers and rust-riot-sys crates. It is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and has garnered over 5,700 stars on GitHub.

Key Features

Free and open-source (LGPL-2.1 licensed)

Lightweight operating system for IoT and embedded devices

Large GitHub community with 5,700+ stars and 2,100+ forks

Supports multiple microcontroller architectures

Rust language support via official wrappers

Comprehensive tutorials and online course materials

Docker-based build environment for reproducible builds

Pros & Cons

Pros

Completely free with no licensing costs
Active community and regular updates
Well-documented tutorials and course material
Modern language support including Rust
Portable across many hardware platforms

Cons

Limited commercial support compared to proprietary RTOS
Steep learning curve for developers new to embedded systems
Smaller ecosystem than mainstream operating systems like Linux

Best For

Developing firmware for IoT devicesEmbedded systems education and prototypingSmart home and sensor network applicationsWearable and low-power wireless devicesAcademic research in IoT operating systems

FAQ

What is RIOT?

RIOT is a free, open-source operating system for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, often called 'The friendly OS for IoT.' It is designed to be lightweight, energy-efficient, and portable across many microcontroller architectures.

Is RIOT free to use?

Yes, RIOT is free and open-source software licensed under LGPL-2.1. It can be used in both hobby and commercial projects without any licensing fees.

Does RIOT support Rust?

Yes, RIOT has official Rust bindings through the rust-riot-wrappers and rust-riot-sys crates, allowing developers to write RIOT applications in Rust.