# kidoman/embd

Embedded Programming Framework in Go

Repository: https://github.com/kidoman/embd
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/embd
Homepage: http://embd.kidoman.io
Language: Go
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2020-09-06T08:09:25+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 32/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4651, "days_push": 2187, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1281, forks 156 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:13.844500+00:00)

## What it is
embd is a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) for embedded Linux single-board computers such as the Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black, and C.H.I.P., written in Go. It exposes GPIO, SPI, I2C, LED, and PWM capabilities through Linux device drivers and bundles user-level drivers for common sensors and controllers like accelerometers, gyroscopes, thermometers, and DACs.

## Use cases
- control gpio pins on a raspberry pi from a go program
- read i2c or spi sensor data in golang
- blink an led on a beaglebone black with go
- cross-compile a go program for an arm linux board
- access pwm controllers and dac chips from userspace
- write board-portable code with a hardware abstraction layer
- hook up accelerometers or thermometers to a hobby embedded project

## When to choose
- You want to program hobby single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi or BeagleBone Black in Go rather than Python or C
- You want hardware access to go through Linux kernel drivers for efficiency and easy porting between boards
- You need ready-made drivers for common sensors and controllers connected via GPIO, I2C, or SPI

## When to avoid
- You need an actively maintained project - the last release was in 2020 and alternatives like gobot or periph are actively developed
- You target microcontrollers or non-Linux embedded platforms, since embd relies on Linux device drivers
- You cannot run your programs with root privileges, which writing to hardware special files on the board requires

## Facets
- artifact type: framework
- maturity: abandoned
- function: embedded, iot
- domain: embedded-systems, iot, hardware, developer-tools
- platform: go, embedded, iot
- tags: hardware-abstraction-layer, hal, gpio, i2c, spi, pwm, sensors, raspberry-pi, beaglebone-black, single-board-computers, linux-device-drivers, cross-compilation, go-library, linux

## Member repositories
- kidoman/embd (main) score 32

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:13.844500+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T05:02:32.551026+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/kidoman/embd (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:13.844500+00:00, sha 75a0e618ed09)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.