• Zephyr Project

    RTOS: Zephyr Project

    Sept. 17, 2025
    Check out this TechXchange that examines the compact Zephyr Project RTOS.
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    What You'll Learn

    • What is the Zephyr OS
    • Why is Zephyr OS important
    • Articles and videos about Zephyr OS technology

    The Zephyr OS project is a compact, multi-threaded, open source operating system designed for IoT applications. Its small footprint and connectivity makes it ideal for resource constrained environments like wearable applications as well as commercial and industrial applications requiring security. 

    Zephyr provides a lot of flexibility. For example, it supports multiple scheduling and queueing strategies. It uses devicetree to describe resources. It also has built-in support for networking including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0. 

    The Zephyr OS is important as it provides a common platform for IoT applications that can work together and with the cloud. It provides support and functionality similar to Linux but in a scaled down solution that can fit on microcontrollers. It provides code portability and middleware that developers can utilize on a range of hardware. It has also has broad vendor and community support.

    Check back here to see what new Zephyr content we add in the future.  

    Table of Contents

    Zephyr Resources

    These are links to resources you might find useful when working with the OS. 

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    Zephyr OS Versions

    You can always find the latest version at the Zephyr OS website. You can download the latest source code from their Git repository.

    Here we highlight some of the new features in various versions in these articles. 

    Zephyr Project
    Promo Zephyr 3 4
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    Operating Systems Dreamstime Ibreakstock 88649323 (promo)

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    Zephyr OS Features

    These articles take a closer look at some of the features provided by the operating system.

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    This video provides an in-depth examination of the Zephyr RTOS.
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    Zephyr is a compact RTOS designed for resource constrained systems. This video highlights the use of code overlays.
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    Code Krisana Antharith Dreamstime L 93689313
    The Zephyr RTOS provides a secure, reliable foundation to build an embedded system, but challenges arise with multithreading, software timing, etc. Such aspects aren’t apparent...
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    Zephyr is a compact RTOS designed for resource constrained systems. This video delves into debugging.
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    Operating system
    The compact Zephyr IoT operating system now takes advantage of MPU and MMU support.
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    Zephyr: A Wearable Operating System
    Wearable devices typically need a compact operating system like Zephyr to fit into low-power microcontrollers.

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    Zephyr in Action

    These are some examples of the Zephyr OS being used in applications or as a platform for other frameworks. 

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    Picking an RTOS

    The Zephyr OS is just one of many RTOS platforms available for constrained resource platforms. These articles take a look at the options and issues invovled. 

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    Dreamstime Mikhail Leonov 102897683
    Whether it’s safely operating a motor vehicle or a spacecraft on a distant planet, there's an RTOS that can make sure it gets there. Here's a field guide to real-time software...
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    In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, open-source and community-backed initiatives are playing a crucial role in realizing the potential and versatility of MCUs to meet the ever...
    Small Open-Source OSs for Small IoT Devices
    A range of open-source operating-system solutions are available for those confined to scaled-down dimensions—homing in on the best option does require some research, though.
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    Open standard RTOS application programming interfaces, such as POSIX pthread, help enhance software development.

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    More TechXchanges on Electronic Design

    These are curated collections of articles, podcasts and videos on other technical topics. 

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    William G. Wong | Senior Content Director - Electronic Design and Microwaves & RF
    About the Author

    William G. Wong | Senior Content Director - Electronic Design and Microwaves & RF

    I am Editor of Electronic Design focusing on embedded, software, and systems. As Senior Content Director, I also manage Microwaves & RF and I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, programmers, developers and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.

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    Check out my blog, AltEmbedded on Electronic Design, as well as his latest articles on this site that are listed below. 

    You can visit my social media via these links:

    I earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Masters in Computer Science from Rutgers University. I still do a bit of programming using everything from C and C++ to Rust and Ada/SPARK. I do a bit of PHP programming for Drupal websites. I have posted a few Drupal modules.  

    I still get a hand on software and electronic hardware. Some of this can be found on our Kit Close-Up video series. You can also see me on many of our TechXchange Talk videos. I am interested in a range of projects from robotics to artificial intelligence. 

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