{"slug": "wled", "name": "WLED", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "", "recommenders": 5, "commenters": 6, "warners": 0, "score": 4.665, "rising": -1.64, "first": "2026-01-04", "latest": "2026-06-04", "why": "", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 5, "neutral": 1, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 2, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": "wled.ge", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://kno.wled.ge", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["WLED"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 774442736, "item_id": 48402671, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48402671", "by": "ssl-3", "date": "2026-06-04", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "so I want to use WLED", "excerpt": "Yes, but I mean: WS2812 and its other addressable friends aren't the whole story in LED lighting, and neither is RGB. Maybe my project involves developing automatically-adjustable color temperature indirect lighting for a semi-permanent exhibit space, where the color temperature is based on that of the light cascading in through the glass windows during the day and softening things to a low color temperature at night", "context": "", "use_case": "LED lighting control", "switched_from": "", "story": "ESP32-S31"}, {"id": 774184480, "item_id": 48386530, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48386530", "by": "frikk", "date": "2026-06-03", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's been a blast.", "excerpt": "I've been building hobby LED art projects with WLED (exclusively built on the ESP32 platform). It's been a blast. These little boards are so powerful and the open source community continues to amaze me. My preferred controller platform is of the QuinLED line - comes with power distribution, voltage regulators, fat copper lines, configurable data-line resistors, and smart auxiliary hardware support all for an affordab", "context": "", "use_case": "LED art projects", "switched_from": "", "story": "ESP32-S31"}, {"id": 763105697, "item_id": 47694106, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47694106", "by": "akhudek", "date": "2026-04-08", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "wled gives you a huge range of options", "excerpt": "I've done this in my own solution in this space (https://thundergroove.com). I use a realtime beat detection neural network combined with similar frequency spectrum analyses to provide a set of signals that effects can use. Effects themselves are written in embedded Javascript and can be layered a bit like photoshop. Currently it only supports driving nanoleaf and wled fixtures, though wled gives you a huge range of ", "context": "", "use_case": "LED fixture control", "switched_from": "", "story": "Audio Reactive LED Strips Are Diabolically Hard"}, {"id": 763021056, "item_id": 47688816, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47688816", "by": "askl", "date": "2026-04-08", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "WLED does everything on the ESP32.", "excerpt": "Interesting. I'm currently in the process of building something with a audio reactive LED strip but didn't come across this project yet. The WLED [1] ESP32 firmware seems to be able to do something similar or potentially more though. [1] https://kno.wled.ge/ Edit: Oh wait, that project needs a PC or Raspberry PI for audio processing. WLED does everything on the ESP32.", "context": "", "use_case": "LED strip control firmware", "switched_from": "", "story": "Audio Reactive LED Strips Are Diabolically Hard"}, {"id": 749616784, "item_id": 46851049, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46851049", "by": "paradox460", "date": "2026-02-01", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "get bulbs that run something like wled", "excerpt": "Fwiw, get bulbs that run something like wled. You can pair them with esp-now remotes, like the wiiz remote https://www.athom.tech/blank-1/wled-15w-color-bulb", "context": "", "use_case": "LED lighting firmware", "switched_from": "", "story": "I taught my neighbor to keep the volume down"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["led lighting control", "led art projects", "led fixture control", "led strip control firmware", "led lighting firmware", "led control for locating parts"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48385965", "title": "ESP32-S31", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47675446", "title": "Audio Reactive LED Strips Are Diabolically Hard", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46848415", "title": "I taught my neighbor to keep the volume down", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46491340", "title": "WLEDger: \"Ctrl and F\" for physical objects. Locate your things visually", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 774442736, "item_id": 48402671, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48402671", "by": "ssl-3", "date": "2026-06-04", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "so I want to use WLED", "excerpt": "Yes, but I mean: WS2812 and its other addressable friends aren't the whole story in LED lighting, and neither is RGB. Maybe my project involves developing automatically-adjustable color temperature indirect lighting for a semi-permanent exhibit space, where the color temperature is based on that of the light cascading in through the glass windows during the day and softening things to a low color temperature at night", "context": "", "use_case": "LED lighting control", "switched_from": "", "story": "ESP32-S31"}, {"id": 774184480, "item_id": 48386530, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48386530", "by": "frikk", "date": "2026-06-03", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's been a blast.", "excerpt": "I've been building hobby LED art projects with WLED (exclusively built on the ESP32 platform). It's been a blast. These little boards are so powerful and the open source community continues to amaze me. My preferred controller platform is of the QuinLED line - comes with power distribution, voltage regulators, fat copper lines, configurable data-line resistors, and smart auxiliary hardware support all for an affordab", "context": "", "use_case": "LED art projects", "switched_from": "", "story": "ESP32-S31"}, {"id": 763105697, "item_id": 47694106, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47694106", "by": "akhudek", "date": "2026-04-08", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "wled gives you a huge range of options", "excerpt": "I've done this in my own solution in this space (https://thundergroove.com). I use a realtime beat detection neural network combined with similar frequency spectrum analyses to provide a set of signals that effects can use. Effects themselves are written in embedded Javascript and can be layered a bit like photoshop. Currently it only supports driving nanoleaf and wled fixtures, though wled gives you a huge range of ", "context": "", "use_case": "LED fixture control", "switched_from": "", "story": "Audio Reactive LED Strips Are Diabolically Hard"}, {"id": 763021056, "item_id": 47688816, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47688816", "by": "askl", "date": "2026-04-08", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "WLED does everything on the ESP32.", "excerpt": "Interesting. I'm currently in the process of building something with a audio reactive LED strip but didn't come across this project yet. The WLED [1] ESP32 firmware seems to be able to do something similar or potentially more though. [1] https://kno.wled.ge/ Edit: Oh wait, that project needs a PC or Raspberry PI for audio processing. WLED does everything on the ESP32.", "context": "", "use_case": "LED strip control firmware", "switched_from": "", "story": "Audio Reactive LED Strips Are Diabolically Hard"}, {"id": 749616784, "item_id": 46851049, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46851049", "by": "paradox460", "date": "2026-02-01", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "get bulbs that run something like wled", "excerpt": "Fwiw, get bulbs that run something like wled. You can pair them with esp-now remotes, like the wiiz remote https://www.athom.tech/blank-1/wled-15w-color-bulb", "context": "", "use_case": "LED lighting firmware", "switched_from": "", "story": "I taught my neighbor to keep the volume down"}, {"id": 743861457, "item_id": 46491341, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46491341", "by": "tuxedomakes", "date": "2026-01-04", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "It integrates with WLED controllers and LED strips.", "excerpt": "Hey folks! TLDR: I built WLEDger, a self hosted, open source inventory system for hobbyists that helps you find your physical parts by lighting up an LED where the part is located. Give it a try using docker compose and let me know what you think! Open source PCB reference files for custom setups are provided in the repo. Background: I have hundreds of electronic components in my lab. I couldn't remember what parts I", "context": "", "use_case": "LED control for locating parts", "switched_from": "", "story": "WLEDger: \"Ctrl and F\" for physical objects. Locate your things visually"}]}