HarixOS
HarixOS is a real, Open Source CLI-based operating system (not a simulator) for microcontrollers, designed to run directly on hardware via a serial console. It provides a robust kernel with Linux-like commands, a structured API layer for safe hardware control, and a native script engine.
Supported Hardware
Currently, HarixOS officially supports the ESP8266 family. However, the architecture is designed to be cross-platform, and support for more microcontrollers (such as ESP32 and others) is planned for future updates.
Screenshots
HarixOS Shell
Features
CLI-based operating system shell with interactive command prompt and help system
System information tools (info, chip, heap, uptime) for monitoring ESP8266 status
Power and control commands (reboot, adc) for direct hardware interaction
Time management system with time display, sync support, and scheduling capabilities
Background task scheduler for running commands and scripts at specific times
Online update system with update checking and version management (update check)
HTTP file downloader via pull <url> <path> for fetching files from the internet
Linux-like filesystem support using LittleFS
(pwd, cd, ls, mkdir, touch, rm, cp, mv, cat, write, append)
Directory-based file operations with recursive listing support (ls -R)
Filesystem utilities layer (fs ...) for advanced storage management
Hardware control system with GPIO management (gpio ...) including safe pin handling
WiFi management system for scanning, connecting, and network configuration (wifi ...)
I2C bus tools for peripheral communication and sensor integration
Application system with runtime app handling (run ...) for install, execute, and manage .hx apps
Interactive text editor (Notepad) for file editing directly from CLI
System settings manager for persistent configuration control
Built-in calculator for arithmetic expression evaluation (calc <expr>)
HTTP server tools for file sharing and simple hosting (serve ...)
Help system with categorized topics (wifi, gpio, fs, serve, time, schedule, update)
Script engine support (.hx files) for automation and external app development
Modular API architecture for hardware, system, and networking layers
Extensible command system designed for future boards (ESP32, etc.)
API Layer & .hx Scripts
HarixOS uses a controlled API layer that apps interact with instead of raw hardware:
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ CLI / .hx Scripts │ ← User interface
└──────────┬──────────────┘
│
┌──────────▼──────────────┐
│ HarixOS API Layer │ ← Structured, safe access
├────────────────────────┤
│ GPIO API │
│ WiFi API │
│ System API │
│ File System API │
└──────────┬──────────────┘
│
┌──────────▼──────────────┐
│ ESP8266 Hardware │ ← Physical hardware
└─────────────────────────┘
.hx Script Engine
HarixOS includes a powerful script engine for external app development. Create and run .hx automation scripts.