Embeddable RTOS mature

FreeRTOS

Real-time operating system for microcontrollers

26.0K stars 100 contributors Since 2003
Website → GitHub

Real-time operating system for microcontrollers

License
MIT
Min RAM
1 MB
Min CPUs
1 core
Scaling
single_node
Complexity
expert
Performance
medium
Self-hostable
✓
K8s native
✕
Offline
✓
Pricing
fully free
Docs quality
good
Vendor lock-in
none

Use cases

  • ✓ IoT device firmware
  • ✓ Industrial control systems
  • ✓ Sensor data collection
  • ✓ Automotive embedded systems

Anti-patterns / when NOT to use

  • ✕ No built-in networking (need libraries)
  • ✕ Manual memory management
  • ✕ Limited debugging tools

Compare with alternatives

Replaces / alternatives to

  • proprietary RTOS (VxWorks, QNX)

Technical specs

Language
C
API type
SDK
Protocols
HTTP
Deployment
source

Community

GitHub stars 26.0K
Contributors 100
Commit frequency weekly
Plugin ecosystem none
Backing AWS
Funding corporate

Release

Latest version —
Last release —
Since 2003

Best fit

Team size
solosmallmedium
Industries
iotautomotivemanufacturinghealthcare

Tags

  • rtos
  • microcontroller
  • embedded
  • real-time
  • iot
  • arm
  • risc-v
  • scheduling
  • semaphores