An educational resource for learning about Raspberry Pi single-board computers, their uses, and project applications.

There are many similar Pi computers inspired by Raspberry Pi which run Linux and have similar features, some are listed below.

The Raspberry Pi is a series of small, affordable, single-board computers developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Originally designed for education, the Raspberry Pi has become a popular tool for hobbyists, developers, and engineers worldwide.

These computers run Linux-based operating systems and can be used for various applications, including learning programming, home automation, IoT projects, and even as low-power desktop computers.

Raspberry Pi computers support various operating systems, including:

• Raspberry Pi OS – The official operating system, based on Debian Linux.
• Ubuntu – A full Linux distribution optimized for Raspberry Pi.
• RetroPie – A specialized OS for gaming and emulation.
• Kali Linux – A security-focused OS used for penetration testing.

This platform provides tutorials and guides on how to use Raspberry Pi for various applications, including:

• Setting up and configuring Raspberry Pi OS.
• Programming with Python and C++ on Raspberry Pi.
• Home automation using GPIO pins.
• Creating IoT projects with Raspberry Pi and cloud services.
• Using Raspberry Pi as a media center or web server.

Explore practical projects that can be built using Raspberry Pi:

• Smart home automation with Raspberry Pi and MQTT.
• Weather station using Raspberry Pi and sensors.
• AI-powered image recognition with Raspberry Pi and OpenCV.
• Building a retro gaming console with RetroPie.
• DIY network-attached storage (NAS) using Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi project began in the early 2000s at the University of Cambridge’s Computer Laboratory. At the time, the number of students applying for computer science degrees was falling sharply. One major reason was that students were arriving with very limited programming experience, often having grown up using closed, appliance-style devices rather than programmable home computers like the BBC Micro or Commodore 64.

Seeking to reverse this trend, a small group of Cambridge academics and engineers — most notably Eben Upton, Rob Mullins, Jack Lang, and Alan Mycroft — began designing a low-cost computer that would give children hands-on exposure to programming and hardware. Early prototypes between 2006 and 2008 were built around Atmel microcontrollers and small ARM-based systems, with the explicit goal of reaching a retail price of around $25.

In 2008, a significant breakthrough occurred when Eben Upton joined Broadcom and gained access to the BCM2835 System-on-Chip. This integrated an ARM1176JZF-S processor, GPU, memory interfaces, and peripherals on a single affordable chip. It allowed the team to design a fully functional Linux-capable computer at an exceptionally low cost.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation, a registered charity, was formally created in 2009 to manage the project and promote computing education. The Foundation’s mission was to provide an inexpensive, accessible platform that could teach programming, computer science concepts, and real-world electronics skills.

After several iterations of prototypes, including an early USB-powered board and a credit-card-sized design, the Foundation announced the Raspberry Pi Model B in 2011. Demand was far greater than expected; videos and photos went viral worldwide, creating an enormous pre-launch community.

On 29 February 2012, the Raspberry Pi Model B officially went on sale. The initial run sold out within minutes, and distributor websites crashed from traffic. For $35, users received a 700 MHz ARM11 processor, 256 MB RAM, GPU hardware acceleration, HDMI, Ethernet, and USB — a revolutionary combination at the price point. The cheaper Model A followed soon after.

Over the next years, Raspberry Pi steadily evolved. In 2014, the Model B+ introduced improved power handling, more USB ports, a more durable form factor, and a 40-pin GPIO header. In early 2015, the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B launched with a quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU and 1 GB of RAM, offering roughly six times the performance of the original.

Later in 2015, the Raspberry Pi Zero was unveiled — a fully functional computer costing only $5. It packed the original BCM2835 processor into an ultra-small form factor and quickly became popular for embedded systems, IoT devices, robotics, and consumer hardware projects.

2016 brought the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, the first model with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This greatly simplified connectivity for education, home projects, and commercial products alike. The Model 3B+ in 2018 improved wireless performance, thermals, and network speed.

In 2019, the Raspberry Pi 4 represented the most significant architectural leap in the platform’s history, offering versions with 2 GB, 4 GB, and eventually 8 GB of RAM. It upgraded to a Cortex-A72 processor, dual 4K displays, USB 3.0, and true Gigabit Ethernet. For many tasks, it approached entry-level desktop PC performance.

The Foundation continued diversifying its ecosystem with industrial products such as Compute Modules, the Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller board using the in-house RP2040 chip (released in 2021), and the Raspberry Pi 400, a complete computer built into a keyboard.

Most recently, the Raspberry Pi 5 was launched, introducing a custom-built southbridge (RP1), PCIe support, over twice the performance of the Pi 4, improved I/O bandwidth, and a more modern system architecture. It marked the first time a Raspberry Pi used an in-house I/O controller.

Today, Raspberry Pi is one of the most successful computing projects in history. It has sold tens of millions of units worldwide, is integrated into industrial systems, used extensively in education and research, and serves as a platform for home automation, robotics, retro gaming, digital art, and thousands of open-source hardware innovations.

What began as a small educational initiative has grown into a global computing ecosystem, while still remaining true to its mission: making computing accessible, affordable, and open to all.

Banana Pi Boards

Orange Pi Boards

Odroid Boards

BeagleBone Boards

Other SBCs

• Raspberry Pi
• Banana Pi (SinoVoip)
• ODROID (Hardkernel)
• BeagleBone (BeagleBoard.org)
• Orange Pi
• Onion Omega
• PINE64
• UDOO
• Radxa (Rock Pi)
• Libre Computer
• LattePanda
• Seeed Studio (reTerminal, Odyssey)
• Khadas
• Nexcom (VTC and IoT edge SBCs)
• 96Boards (Linaro)
• ASUS Tinker Board
• Google Coral
• FriendlyARM (NanoPi)
• DFRobot (UNIHIKER, LattePanda)
• M5Stack (Core2, Atom)
• Revolution Pi (Kunbus)