Arduino Documentation

What Arduino Docs is

Arduino Docs at docs.arduino.cc is the official home for everything you need to program an Arduino board. It brings together four things beginners usually hunt for in different places: the Arduino language reference (functions such as pinMode, digitalWrite, analogRead, millis and attachInterrupt), guides for the Arduino IDE 2, a page for every official board with its pinout, datasheet and technical specifications, and a large set of tutorials that go from blinking an LED to communication protocols and wireless boards.

Is it worth your time?

Yes, and not only for complete beginners. When a tutorial on a random site stops working, the reason is usually a detail the official page states clearly: which pins support interrupts on your board, what voltage the board runs at, or how a function behaves. The board pages are especially useful because they show the exact pinout and limits for the board you own, which prevents wiring mistakes that damage hardware. The reference pages are short, so you can check one function in a minute without losing your flow.

The Arduino IDE 2 guides

The IDE section explains the features of Arduino IDE 2: the Boards Manager for installing board support (including third-party cores such as Espressif's ESP32 core), the Library Manager, the Serial Monitor and Serial Plotter, autocompletion, and the debugger, which has been stable since IDE 2.3 for supported boards. If you are setting up a new computer, start here rather than with an old video that shows the previous 1.x IDE.

Prerequisites and time

No prior experience is needed. A beginner can install the IDE, upload the Blink example and understand the reference for the basic functions in an afternoon. After that, you will return to the docs throughout every project, which is how most people use them.

What you can do after using it

• Set up the IDE, install a board package and upload sketches with confidence.
• Read a board's pinout and specifications and choose safe pins for inputs, outputs, PWM, I2C and SPI.
• Use the built-in examples as starting points for sensors, displays and communication.
• Move on to more advanced topics, such as debugging and low-power modes, on boards that support them.

Free or paid?

The documentation is free. Arduino sells boards, kits and Arduino Cloud plans, and some tutorials use those products, but you do not need to buy anything to read the docs, and the IDE is free and open source.

Common questions

Does it cover ESP32 boards? It covers Arduino's own ESP32-based board, the Nano ESP32, in detail. For other ESP32 boards, the language reference still applies, and Espressif's own documentation covers the chip-specific features.

Is the old IDE still documented? The docs focus on Arduino IDE 2. Use it for new setups.

Best for: anyone writing Arduino sketches, from the first LED to a connected device. Keep the language reference and your board's page open while you code.