# DroneBridge/ESP32

DroneBridge for ESP32. A secure & transparent telemetry link with support for WiFi and ESP-NOW. Supporting MAVLink, MSP, LTM or any other protocol

Repository: https://github.com/DroneBridge/ESP32
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/esp32
Homepage: https://drone-bridge.com/
Language: C
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: dronebridge, uav, mavlink, msp, multiwii, ltm, esp32, espressif, drone, multicopter, inav, pixhawk, ardupilot, qgroundcontrol, communication-systems, telemetry, datalink, espnow, uas
Last push: 2026-08-24T21:22:15+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 95/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 87, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2936, "days_push": 9, "days_rel": 7, "gap_med": 69, "n_releases_24m": 6}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1080, forks 232 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:30.342839+00:00)

## What it is
DroneBridge for ESP32 is open-source firmware for ESP32 modules that provides a secure, transparent, bidirectional telemetry link between a drone's flight controller and a ground control station over WiFi, WiFi Long-Range, ESP-NOW, or Bluetooth LE. It natively supports MAVLink, MSP, and LTM protocols plus a fully transparent mode for any payload, with AES-GCM 256-bit encryption and a built-in web interface for configuration.

## Use cases
- establish a cheap telemetry link between a Pixhawk flight controller and QGroundControl
- control drone swarms over ESP-NOW broadcast with one-to-many communication
- extend telemetry range beyond 1km using WiFi LR mode with external antennas
- pass serial data transparently over WiFi for any custom protocol
- connect a ground station to a drone via Bluetooth LE without cables
- encrypt drone telemetry with AES-256-GCM out of the box
- flash firmware to an ESP32 directly from the browser
- run drone light shows with Skybrush using the Drone Light Show Edition

## When to choose
- you need low-cost (<10 EUR), lightweight (<8g) telemetry hardware for a drone or UAV
- you use MAVLink, MSP, or LTM with GCS software like QGroundControl, Mission Planner, or mwptools
- you want encrypted telemetry by default without extra setup
- you need one-to-many communication for drone swarms or light shows
- you want a transparent serial-to-WiFi bridge for arbitrary protocols

## When to avoid
- you need video transmission or camera streaming - the ESP32 cannot encode video
- you require high-bandwidth links beyond ~250kbit/s over ESP-NOW or long-range modes
- you need ranges far beyond 1km, where dedicated long-range radio modems are better
- your project does not use ESP32 hardware

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: networking, security, cryptography, embedded, middleware
- domain: robotics, iot, embedded-systems, hardware
- platform: iot, embedded, cross-platform
- tags: telemetry, mavlink, esp-now, drone, uav, firmware, datalink, wifi, ble, msp, ltm, ground-control-station, automation

## Member repositories
- DroneBridge/ESP32 (main) score 95

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:30.342839+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 2026-08-30T06:51:25.501754+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/DroneBridge/ESP32 (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:30.342839+00:00, sha 57e7bc3e544a)
  - homepage: https://drone-bridge.com/ (fetched 2026-08-29T12:53:43.245558+00:00, sha 47e8e583cdab)
  - site_page: https://drone-bridge.com/flasher (fetched 2026-08-29T12:53:43.254921+00:00, sha 9a0cbace56bd)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.