What Raspberry Pi is
Raspberry Pi is a family of low-cost single-board computers made by the company Raspberry Pi, which has been designing such computers — processor, memory, and common interfaces on a credit-card-sized board — since 2012. The company describes them as Arm-based machines running the Linux operating system, with over sixty million units sold in the last decade. The official product page lists the range: full-size single-board computers such as Raspberry Pi 5 and Raspberry Pi 4, tiny models like the Zero 2 W, keyboard-integrated machines such as the Pi 500, the Pico microcontroller line built on RP2350, Compute Modules for embedded production, and accessories including cameras and HAT expansion boards.
Usage and boundaries
A Raspberry Pi is a complete Linux computer: it can drive a desk setup with a monitor and keyboard, and it commonly serves as a home server, NAS, media center, smart-home gateway, retro game console, or a board for learning to program. The official operating system is Raspberry Pi OS, the official Raspberry Pi Imager tool writes it to a microSD card, and Raspberry Pi Connect provides remote access.
Its division of labor against ESP32 and Arduino comes up often: ESP32 is a microcontroller for low-power, real-time sensing and control, while Raspberry Pi runs a full operating system for workloads that need network services, file storage, containers, or multitasking. Home projects often pair the two — a Pi as the hub and microcontrollers at the edges. Prices, availability, and specifications vary by model and over time; check the official product page before buying.
Discussion in the show
In Weekly #005’s chapter “云电脑、自己的电脑与服务器管理” (cloud computers, your own computers, and server management), Yang Pan mentions tidying up his home devices over the October holiday: “one NUC, then 2 Raspberry Pis, then 3 Pads, and a pile of NAS”, per the Chinese transcript. He asked Codex what these devices could be used for and “didn’t get a good suggestion”; the chapter then moves to agents managing servers and making cold backups of the podcast. Raspberry Pi appears here in the context of a personal device fleet and agent-driven administration: how idle single-board computers at home fit into a personal agent’s management scope. This is one participant’s experience, not usage advice. See the episode 005 chapter (Chinese transcript; no English transcript is available).
Frequently asked questions
What is Raspberry Pi?
A family of single-board computers from the company Raspberry Pi: processor, memory, and common interfaces on one board, Arm-based and running Linux, with tens of millions sold since 2012 for learning, self-hosting, and hobby projects.
What can a Raspberry Pi do?
Most things a Linux machine can do: desktop computing, home servers, NAS, smart-home gateways, media centers, signage, and small websites, plus camera- and sensor-driven projects with the official accessories. The right answer depends on the model and peripherals.
Raspberry Pi vs ESP32 vs Arduino — what is the difference?
Raspberry Pi runs a full operating system; ESP32 and Arduino are microcontrollers for low-power real-time control. Choose Raspberry Pi for system services, storage, and networking, and a microcontroller when power draw, cost, and real-time response matter. Combined projects are common.
How do I install an OS on a Raspberry Pi?
Use the official Raspberry Pi Imager to write Raspberry Pi OS or another OS to a microSD card, then boot from it. The official software page also offers Raspberry Pi Connect for remote access.
Where is the Raspberry Pi official website?
The official site is raspberrypi.com, with products at the official product page and operating systems and tools at the software page.