Anvil now provides support for communicating with the Raspberry Pi Pico W. Anvil was created to make it possible to create a web app in Python in under five minutes.
A toolkit for the new Raspberry Pi Zero W microcontroller board has been released, according to Python-based web app expert Anvil, enabling quick creation and deployment of hardware-connected web apps with built-in security.
Anvil's most recent release, according to business co-founder Meredydd Luff, "is an easy, secure method to link the [Raspberry Pi] Pico W to apps on the Anvil platform – all in Python." You get user authentication, email integration, a drag-and-drop web UI builder, a built-in database, and more. It also all talks to your Pico W.
The enormously well-liked $4 Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller development board and module was replaced with the $6 Raspberry Pi Pico W last week. It's still based on the dual-core RP2040 microcontroller with its adaptable programmable input/output (PIO) blocks, the same as its predecessor, but it also incorporates a radio module with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality. However, the firmware for the latter has not yet been updated.
The Pico W now has a firmware image that can connect to the Anvil Uplink, allowing users to invoke Pico functionalities from the Anvil web interface and vice versa, according to Luff. "When you install this image, your Pico will appear as an additional USB drive and pre-loaded with some example Python code. Your Pico will now connect to your app and you may access functions on your Pico from a web UI when you open it up, configure your Wi-Fi password and Uplink key, and reboot."
The firmware and libraries, like the Anvil framework itself, have been made available under a permissive open source license; however, Anvil naturally hopes that developers would opt to utilize its hosted version for their projects. The business has created a set of tutorials for both newbies to Anvil and those who wish to add microcontroller functionality to existing Anvil applications. Web apps are developed using the same interface as existing Anvil apps.
Instructions for using the new framework can be found on the Anvil website, but users must register before using Anvil Uplink and developing the web app. The company's free tier offers unlimited apps with cloud hosting and local deployment at no cost. In contrast, a $15 per month "Personal" tier offers an entire Python server, custom domain support, and the elimination of the company's advertising banner.
Additionally, Luff has confirmed that several enhancements were made during the framework's development, such as Network Time Protocol (NTP) support, TLS certificate validation in MicroPython's RP2040 port, and USB Mass Storage functionality to enable editing of Python code directly on the device, have been contributed upstream. Even if companies don't utilize Anvil, he says, "We expect that the extra security benefits will soon show up across the fast-growing Pico W ecosystem."
Meanwhile, the Anvil Pico MicroPython libraries' source code has been made available on GitHub under the MIT license, which is permissive.
