ESP32 & ESP8266 Setup
Both chips come from Espressif and both use the same Arduino IDE workflow — but they're different silicon with different capabilities. Figure out which one you have, then jump to its dedicated guide.
Which Chip Do I Have?
Check the metal shield or the module printed on your board:
- ESP32 — silkscreen or module label reads
ESP32-WROOM-32,ESP32-WROVER,ESP32-D0WD, or similar. Dev boards are commonly labeled ESP32 DevKitC, NodeMCU-32S, or ESP32-DevKitM. - ESP8266 — module label reads
ESP-12E,ESP-12F,ESP-01, orESP8266EX. Dev boards are commonly labeled NodeMCU 1.0, Wemos D1 Mini, or just ESP-01.
Not sure and don't have the board in front of you? If your project needs Bluetooth, more than one core, or more GPIO/ADC pins, it's almost certainly an ESP32 — ESP8266 boards are the smaller, single-core, WiFi-only ones.
ESP32 vs ESP8266 at a Glance
| ESP32 | ESP8266 | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU cores | Dual-core (some variants single-core) | Single-core |
| Wireless | WiFi + Bluetooth/BLE | WiFi only |
| GPIO pins | ~34 usable | ~11 usable (fewer on ESP-01) |
| ADC (analog input) | Up to 18 channels, 12-bit | 1 channel, 10-bit |
| Typical use case | Sensor hubs, BLE devices, more complex projects | Simple WiFi sensors/switches, cost-sensitive projects |
| Common boards | ESP32 DevKitC, NodeMCU-32S | NodeMCU 1.0, Wemos D1 Mini, ESP-01 |
Pick Your Path
ESP32 Setup
Dual-core, WiFi + Bluetooth. Hardware, software, and first-program guides.
Learn moreESP8266 Setup
WiFi-only, single-core. Hardware, software, and first-program guides.
Learn moreSetting Up Both Chips at Once (optional)
If you work with both ESP32 and ESP8266 boards, you don't need to repeat the Boards Manager setup twice. The Additional Boards Manager URLs field in the Arduino IDE accepts multiple URLs at once, separated by commas:
https://espressif.github.io/arduino-esp32/package_esp32_index.json,https://arduino.esp8266.com/stable/package_esp8266com_index.json
Paste that into File → Preferences → Additional Boards Manager URLs, then open Tools → Board → Boards Manager and install both esp32 and esp8266 packages. Both chip families will now show up under Tools → Board in the same IDE install — no need to switch preferences when you swap boards.
Want Raspberry Pi Pico support in the same IDE too? Add its URL to the same comma-separated list — see the Pico Software Setup guide for that URL.
Advanced Toolchains
- ESP-IDF — Espressif's official low-level framework. ESP32-only (not ESP8266-compatible). See ESP-IDF Setup.
- VS Code + PlatformIO — a professional, multi-board workflow that works with both chips (and Arduino and Pico) from one editor. See VS Code + PlatformIO Setup.
