Writing a "bare metal" operating system for Raspberry Pi 4
FreeWriting a bare metal operating system for Raspberry Pi 4
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About Writing a "bare metal" operating system for Raspberry Pi 4
A comprehensive, step-by-step tutorial series for writing a bare metal operating system from scratch on the Raspberry Pi 4. Written by a tech CEO during the Covid-19 lockdown as a personal project, it covers bootstrapping, building, displaying 'Hello World', UART communication, framebuffer graphics, breakout boards, Bluetooth, sound, multicore processing, symmetric multiprocessing, interrupts, SPI Ethernet, and a TCP/IP web server. The repository contains the full source code and instructions, with parts 1-13 confirmed working on an Apple MacBook Pro M1 running macOS Tahoe.
Key Features
Bootstrapping the Raspberry Pi 4 from scratch
Building and compiling a bare metal OS
Displaying text on screen (Hello World)
Mini UART serial communication
Framebuffer graphics output
Breakout board integration
Bluetooth and BLE support
Sound output
Multicore and SMP (Symmetric Multiprocessing)
Interrupt handling
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Comprehensive step-by-step guide from boot to networking
- Covers a wide range of hardware features (UART, framebuffer, Bluetooth, sound, Ethernet)
- Real-world code examples with full source available on GitHub
- Free and open source (MIT licensed)
- Written by an experienced developer with clear explanations
Cons
- Parts 14 and 15 (SPI Ethernet and TCP/IP) may be outdated due to Raspberry Pi 4 firmware changes
- Requires a Raspberry Pi 4 board and some additional hardware for advanced features
- Build instructions currently confirmed only for macOS (Apple Silicon/Clang) – may need adaptation for other platforms
- Not actively maintained by the original author (last update mentioned as July 2026)
Best For
Learning operating system development fundamentalsEmbedded systems education and hobby projectsUnderstanding low-level Raspberry Pi 4 hardwareBuilding a custom lightweight OS for RPi4Teaching computer architecture and system programming
FAQ
What hardware is required to follow this tutorial?
A Raspberry Pi 4 is the primary hardware. Additional components may be needed for advanced parts, such as breakout boards, Bluetooth modules, or SPI Ethernet hardware.
Do I need prior operating system development experience?
The tutorial assumes some programming knowledge but starts from the basics of bootstrapping. It is designed to be educational for those interested in bare metal programming.
Are all parts of the tutorial up to date?
Parts 1-13 are updated and confirmed working (as of the last update in July 2026). Parts 14-15 currently require updating to reflect the latest RPi4 firmware changes.
Is the code provided free to use?
Yes, the repository is open source and publicly available on GitHub under the MIT License.