Learn Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi is a low-cost, credit-card-sized computer that runs a full operating system and can be used to learn programming, build electronics projects, or serve as a lightweight desktop or server.
What Is a Raspberry Pi?
A Raspberry Pi is a single-board computer: an entire computer, processor, memory, storage connector, video output, and network hardware, built onto one small circuit board rather than spread across a case full of separate parts. It was created by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a UK charity that originally wanted to make programming affordable enough for any student to try at home. Despite its size, a Raspberry Pi boots a real operating system, runs a desktop environment, and can do most things a conventional computer can do, just at a smaller scale and a much lower price.
- Learning to code and explore Linux without risking a family computer
- Building a lightweight home server, network ad-blocker, or file share
- Powering a retro game console hooked up to a TV
- Running a media center for streaming and local video
- Controlling motors, lights, and sensors in robotics or home automation projects
- Acting as a always-on network tool, like a print server or VPN endpoint
How It Differs From a Regular Computer
Instead of separate chips for the processor, graphics, and memory controller, a Raspberry Pi uses a system-on-chip (SoC): most of that circuitry is fused onto a single piece of silicon. It has no spinning hard drive or internal SSD; it boots from a removable microSD card (or, on newer models, USB or network storage). And rather than the x86 processors found in most laptops and desktops, it uses an ARM processor, the same processor family used in phones and tablets, which is part of why it can run on so little power.
A Brief History
The original Raspberry Pi launched in 2012 with a single goal: get more young people excited about writing code and understanding how computers work, by removing the cost barrier. Demand quickly outgrew the education market, and the lineup grew into three broad families: the full-size Pi board (Model B and its successors, now up to Raspberry Pi 5), the smaller and cheaper Pi Zero line for compact projects, and the Raspberry Pi Pico, a microcontroller board aimed at electronics rather than general computing.
What You'll Need to Get Started
- A Raspberry Pi board itself
- An official (or equivalent) power supply matching your model's connector and wattage
- A microSD card to hold the operating system (8GB minimum, 32GB or more recommended)
- A monitor or TV with an HDMI cable
- A USB keyboard and mouse for initial setup
- A wired or Wi-Fi internet connection
- Optionally, a case to protect the bare board
What ultimately sets a Raspberry Pi apart from an ordinary computer isn't raw speed, it's that row of 40 metal pins along one edge of the board. Those GPIO pins let software you write reach out and control real-world hardware: switching on an LED, reading a button press, or driving a motor. The rest of this course walks through picking the right model, installing the operating system, getting connected, and finally putting those pins to use.
Exercise: Raspberry Pi Introduction
What is a Raspberry Pi best described as?
Frequently Asked Questions
- What can you actually do with a Raspberry Pi?
- Run a small server, block ads on your network, build a media centre, drive a retro games console, or wire sensors and motors into a physical project. The GPIO pins are what set it apart from a cheap computer: it can interact with hardware directly.
- Do I need to know Linux to use a Raspberry Pi?
- It helps, but you will learn it as you go. The standard operating system boots to a desktop, and most projects need only a handful of terminal commands at first. Comfort with the command line grows naturally from doing projects.
- Which programming language should I use on a Raspberry Pi?
- Python, for almost everything. The GPIO libraries, project tutorials and community examples all assume it, so you spend time on the project rather than translating code. C appears where timing needs to be precise.
