# whitecatboard/Lua-RTOS-ESP32

Lua RTOS for ESP32

Repository: https://github.com/whitecatboard/Lua-RTOS-ESP32
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/lua-rtos-esp32
Language: C
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: lua, esp32, espressif, rtos, freertos, iot, lorawan, iot-platform, lora, lua-rtos
Last push: 2026-04-29T16:49:44+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 68/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 79, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3610, "days_push": 126, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1328, forks 238 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:23.712833+00:00)

## What it is
Lua RTOS is a real-time operating system for embedded systems (ESP32, ESP8266, PIC32MZ) built on FreeRTOS with a Lua 5.3 interpreter on top. It exposes hardware peripherals and middleware services (GPIO, ADC, I2C, LoRaWAN, MQTT, threads) through Lua modules and can be programmed via the Whitecat IDE using Lua or block-based programming.

## Use cases
- program ESP32 boards in Lua instead of C
- build IoT devices with LoRaWAN connectivity
- prototype embedded hardware quickly with block-based programming
- run a real-time micro-kernel with minimal RAM and flash requirements
- read sensors over I2C and control GPIO from scripts
- publish sensor data over MQTT from an ESP32

## When to choose
- you want Lua scripting on ESP32/ESP8266 microcontrollers
- you need real-time behavior with a lightweight footprint
- you prefer rapid prototyping with blocks that compile to Lua
- your project uses LoRaWAN or MQTT middleware on embedded hardware

## When to avoid
- you need a general-purpose OS with a full network stack and multitasking user apps
- your project requires standard Python or MicroPython ecosystems
- you need guaranteed long-term vendor support or a permissive license
- you target platforms other than ESP32, ESP8266, or PIC32MZ without porting effort

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: programming-language, interpreter, embedded, iot
- domain: embedded-systems, iot, programming-languages, hardware
- platform: embedded, iot
- tags: lua-rtos, freertos, esp32, esp8266, lorawan, real-time-operating-system, firmware, microcontroller

## Member repositories
- whitecatboard/Lua-RTOS-ESP32 (main) score 68

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:23.712833+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 2026-08-30T04:45:59.057845+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/whitecatboard/Lua-RTOS-ESP32 (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:23.712833+00:00, sha 75f0932d9a5a)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.