esptool
- Software
- Microcontrollers and firmware tools
- Tool
A Python serial utility for flashing, provisioning and talking to Espressif chips. It runs on any platform with Python and a serial connection.
Made by Espressif Systems, China (checked on github.com/espressif (opens in a new tab)).
Source on GitHub: github.com/espressif/esptool (opens in a new tab). Facts read at commit af1ed10 (opens in a new tab).
Licenses
- Code
- GPL-2.0-only (opens in a new tab)
Read by Robotheca from LICENSE (opens in a new tab) (GPL-2.0-only) at commit af1ed10 (opens in a new tab), on 16 Oct 2026.
- Commercial use
- Yes
Copyleft: Modified source must be published.
What it does
- Flashes firmware onto Espressif SoCs over a serial connection.
- Uploads a small flasher stub to the chip to speed up flashing and get around ROM bootloader limits.
- Can be used from the command line; the full command list is shown with esptool -h.
- Developed and maintained by Espressif Systems, building on earlier work by community contributors.
- Full documentation is hosted online for setup and use.
Written by Robotheca from the project's README (opens in a new tab) at commit af1ed10.
Getting started
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- How to start
- The project's website (opens in a new tab)
Maintenance
- Status
- Active: a commit in the last 90 days
- Newest commit
- 15 Oct 2026 on master
- Latest release
- Version 5.6.0 (15 Oct 2026)
Checked on GitHub on 16 Oct 2026.
Links
Robots that can run it
No robot on Robotheca is linked to it yet. Links come from a robot's robot.yaml, from its dependency files read as text, or from Robotheca's editors.
Robotheca lists software as a reference: nothing is hosted or run here, and every fact links to where it was read.