Programming

Here are some tips for programming the ESP8266:

Choose a development board. The most popular options are NodeMCU and Wemos D1. These boards have the ESP8266 chip and additional components to get you started.

Select a firmware. The most common firmwares for ESP8266 are the NodeMCU firmware (Lua scripting language) and MicroPython. For beginners, NodeMCU with Lua is easier to get started with.

Connect the board to your PC. You need to connect the board using a USB cable. The port number will appear in your device manager and you need to select that port number in your code editor later.

Choose an IDE. Some recommended options are:

ESPlorer - NodeMCU Lua IDE. Good for beginners.

Thonny - MicroPython IDE. Also good for beginners.

Arduino IDE - You need to install the ESP8266 board manager URL. More complicated but useful if you know Arduino.

PlatformIO - Advanced IDE for professionals. Supports many boards and frameworks including ESP8266.