{"slug": "platformio", "name": "PlatformIO", "category": "editors", "category_name": "Editors and IDEs", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 4, "warners": 0, "score": 2.719, "rising": -0.98, "first": "2025-11-21", "latest": "2026-02-23", "why": "I used the PlatformIO plugin (available for VSCode-based IDEs) for programming and transferring code to the esp32.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 1, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "I used the PlatformIO plugin (available for VSCode-based IDEs) for programming and transferring code to the esp32.", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://platformio.org", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["PlatformIO"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 753938624, "item_id": 47121164, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47121164", "by": "rolfus", "date": "2026-02-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I used the PlatformIO plugin (available for VSCode-based IDEs) for programming and transferring code to the esp32.", "excerpt": "I source most of my components from aliexpress. It's been a while, but these are the components I used: Microcontroller: FireBeetle 2 ESP32 Display: Generic 10\" e-Paper display with driver board included Timekeeping: DS3231 Real Time Clock Module Temperature and humidity: BME280 module Charging: Type-C USB 2S Li-ion BMS That, along with a breadboard, two 18650 batteries, some resistors and capacitors make up the hard", "context": "built an e-paper family dashboard", "use_case": "ESP32 firmware development", "switched_from": "", "story": "I built Timeframe, our family e-paper dashboard"}, {"id": 740384112, "item_id": 46274007, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46274007", "by": "analog31", "date": "2025-12-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Recently I've switched to Platformio for coding.", "excerpt": "I'm a long time user of the Arduino IDE for third party boards such as the Teensy. Recently I've switched to Platformio for coding. So I should be satisfied with never needing Arduino's cloud service. But Adafruit points out a problem, which is that the cloud service is the only available option for students using school-issued Chromebooks. I can confirm that a school-issued Chromebook is likely to be set up to lock ", "context": "long-time Arduino IDE user for Teensy", "use_case": "embedded board coding", "switched_from": "Arduino IDE", "story": "Adafruit: Arduino\u2019s Rules Are \u2018Incompatible With Open Source\u2019"}, {"id": 736118640, "item_id": 46007415, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46007415", "by": "qwertox", "date": "2025-11-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the Arduino IDE has been replaced with PlatformIO in VS Code", "excerpt": "Do tinkerers still use Arduino? I have a couple of boards here, but since I moved to ESP32, I never used them again. The last usages I gave an Arduino board was for it to serve as a programmer for my ESP2688. And the Arduino IDE has been replaced with PlatformIO in VS Code.", "context": "", "use_case": "microcontroller development", "switched_from": "Arduino IDE", "story": "Arduino published updated terms and conditions: no longer an open commons"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "rolfus", "context": "built an e-paper family dashboard", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47121164", "date": "2026-02-23"}, {"by": "analog31", "context": "long-time Arduino IDE user for Teensy", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46274007", "date": "2025-12-15"}, {"by": "dajt", "context": "firmware developer behind a corporate firewall", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46228609", "date": "2025-12-10"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["esp32 firmware development", "embedded board coding", "firmware development", "microcontroller development"], "compared": [{"slug": "arduino-ide", "name": "Arduino IDE", "co": 2, "switched_from": 2, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47113728", "title": "I built Timeframe, our family e-paper dashboard", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46265362", "title": "Adafruit: Arduino\u2019s Rules Are \u2018Incompatible With Open Source\u2019", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46214950", "title": "Stop Breaking TLS", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46005553", "title": "Arduino published updated terms and conditions: no longer an open commons", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"recommend": 1}, "2025-12": {"neutral": 1, "recommend": 1}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 753938624, "item_id": 47121164, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47121164", "by": "rolfus", "date": "2026-02-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I used the PlatformIO plugin (available for VSCode-based IDEs) for programming and transferring code to the esp32.", "excerpt": "I source most of my components from aliexpress. It's been a while, but these are the components I used: Microcontroller: FireBeetle 2 ESP32 Display: Generic 10\" e-Paper display with driver board included Timekeeping: DS3231 Real Time Clock Module Temperature and humidity: BME280 module Charging: Type-C USB 2S Li-ion BMS That, along with a breadboard, two 18650 batteries, some resistors and capacitors make up the hard", "context": "built an e-paper family dashboard", "use_case": "ESP32 firmware development", "switched_from": "", "story": "I built Timeframe, our family e-paper dashboard"}, {"id": 740384112, "item_id": 46274007, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46274007", "by": "analog31", "date": "2025-12-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Recently I've switched to Platformio for coding.", "excerpt": "I'm a long time user of the Arduino IDE for third party boards such as the Teensy. Recently I've switched to Platformio for coding. So I should be satisfied with never needing Arduino's cloud service. But Adafruit points out a problem, which is that the cloud service is the only available option for students using school-issued Chromebooks. I can confirm that a school-issued Chromebook is likely to be set up to lock ", "context": "long-time Arduino IDE user for Teensy", "use_case": "embedded board coding", "switched_from": "Arduino IDE", "story": "Adafruit: Arduino\u2019s Rules Are \u2018Incompatible With Open Source\u2019"}, {"id": 739657744, "item_id": 46228609, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46228609", "by": "dajt", "date": "2025-12-10", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use Platform.IO for firmware development and can't build my firmware unless I hotspot my phone.", "excerpt": "This is a massive pain at my work, same as I'm sure most other comments are saying. I use Platform.IO for firmware development and can't build my firmware unless I hotspot my phone. I would say that's a PIO bug unless there is a flag I don't know about, but it's exposed by this nuisance of a firewall. The devs where I am spend much of our time hotspotted to our phones with the corporate network never connected so IP ", "context": "firmware developer behind a corporate firewall", "use_case": "firmware development", "switched_from": "", "story": "Stop Breaking TLS"}, {"id": 736118640, "item_id": 46007415, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46007415", "by": "qwertox", "date": "2025-11-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the Arduino IDE has been replaced with PlatformIO in VS Code", "excerpt": "Do tinkerers still use Arduino? I have a couple of boards here, but since I moved to ESP32, I never used them again. The last usages I gave an Arduino board was for it to serve as a programmer for my ESP2688. And the Arduino IDE has been replaced with PlatformIO in VS Code.", "context": "", "use_case": "microcontroller development", "switched_from": "Arduino IDE", "story": "Arduino published updated terms and conditions: no longer an open commons"}]}