Introduction

The nRF development environment is a powerful and user-friendly platform that makes creating innovative and low-power wireless applications with Nordic SoCs easy. So, whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting, the nRF ecosystem has something to offer you. It’s primarily centred around Nordic Semiconductor's nRF series of System-on-Chips (SoCs) and is designed to facilitate the creation of wireless applications, particularly those utilizing Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and other low-power wireless technologies. It features the following components:

• nRF Series SoCs: These are the core of the development environment. Nordic Semiconductor offers a range of nRF chips (like the nRF51, nRF52, nRF53, and nRF91 series), each with varying capabilities in terms of processing power, wireless protocol support, and features. These SoCs are designed for low-power operation, making them ideal for battery-powered IoT devices.

• nRF Connect SDK (Software Development Kit): This is a crucial software tool for developing applications for nRF devices. It provides a comprehensive set of tools, libraries, and examples for building firmware. The nRF Connect SDK is based on the Zephyr RTOS (Real-Time Operating System), which offers a robust and scalable platform for embedded development.

• nRF Connect for Desktop: This is a PC-based application that provides various tools for testing, programming, and debugging nRF devices.

• nRF Connect for VS Code: This Visual Studio Code extension streamlines nRF Connect SDK development within the popular VS Code IDE. It simplifies tasks like building, flashing, and debugging.

• Development Kits (DKs): Nordic Semiconductor provides development kits that allow developers to prototype and test their applications. These kits typically include an nRF SoC, along with other necessary components.

The reason for starting this article series is to share the knowledge I received about the nRF development flow. Sometimes it can get overwhelming to enter into the nRF toolchain because of the lack of sources online. However, I can recommend the Nordic Dev Academy as it is a good starting point for further information on the Nordic toolchain and SDKs.