DigiCode
Browser-based block programming for microcontrollers
For ESP32 / RP2040 — by Digico, LLC (operator of FabLab Westharima)
AI block generation & AI help (BYOK), no Arduino IDE
required, with USB / Wi-Fi OTA / BLE flashing.
Supports 30+ boards across the ESP32 and RP2040 families.
▲ The actual DigiCode editor (example: ESP32 + MQTT / Home Assistant integration)
⚡ At a Glance
No installation required — start programming microcontrollers right from your browser
From logic to IoT and Home Assistant
ESP32 / M5Stack / XIAO / RP2040
USB / Wi-Fi OTA / BLE
EN / JP / ES / PT / ZH-TW
💡 What is DigiCode?
DigiCode is a browser-based visual programming environment for ESP32 / RP2040 microcontrollers. Built on Google Blockly, it auto-generates Arduino-flavored C++ code from blocks and handles cloud compilation and firmware flashing — entirely inside your web browser.
DigiCode is developed and operated by Digico, LLC, the company behind FabLab Westharima (Sayo-cho, Hyogo, Japan). Born from challenges encountered while running a fab lab and designing original hardware, DigiCode aims to let educators, fab spaces, and makers focus on what they want to build — not on fighting hardware variation.
🛠️ Origin Story
DigiCode was born at FabLab Westharima while we were designing educational robots and IoT devices — including PCBs and enclosures.
Existing block-programming tools dictated which boards and pin assignments you could use, forcing us to adapt our hardware design to fit the editor's constraints. Even when we designed our own microcontroller boards or breakout boards, the editor wouldn't recognize them.
"Then let's build the editor too." That was the trigger. On top of that, existing tools required Arduino IDE installs and were limited to USB cable flashing — both impractical for classrooms and workshops. So we set out to build a tool that runs entirely in the browser and supports wireless flashing.
🎯 Who It's For & System Requirements
👥 Designed for
- ✓ Teachers running microcontroller classes in schools
- ✓ Workshop organizers and fab-space operators
- ✓ Beginner students learning to program hardware
- ✓ Robotics competition teams
- ✓ Makers and hobbyists exploring IoT / electronics
🌐 System requirements
- ✓ Browser: Google Chrome / Microsoft Edge (latest)
- ✓ OS: Windows / macOS / Linux (desktop)
- ✓ Web Serial API and Web Bluetooth API support
- ✓ No installation required (except optional companion tools)
- ✓ USB driver: CP2102 or CH340 (depending on board)
🔧 Core Features
Block editing, cloud compilation, and flashing — all in the browser
Browser-only workflow
No Arduino IDE or other installs. Build blocks, compile, and flash entirely from the browser. Cloud compilation means your local PC specs don't matter.
Three flashing methods
USB wired flashing (Web Serial API), plus wireless options via BLE (Web Bluetooth API) and Wi-Fi OTA. Convenient for cased devices and classroom batch updates.
500+ Blockly blocks
Logic, loops, math, and text basics — plus blocks for sensors, motors, servos, NeoPixels, OLED, MQTT, Home Assistant, and more.
Class management (Enterprise)
Create classes, issue student accounts, distribute assignments (Blockly XML + PDF), review submissions, grade, and request resubmissions — all in one place.
MFA & security
Email + password authentication, passkeys (WebAuthn), email OTP two-factor, trusted device support, and recovery codes.
5 languages & companion tools
UI in English, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and Traditional Chinese. The DigiCode Finder desktop app (Tauri v2 — Win/Mac/Linux) auto-discovers devices on your network via mDNS.
🤖 AI Features (BYOK)
Generate blocks from natural-language prompts and ask an AI assistant for help.
DigiCode uses a BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) model — bring your own AI provider API key.
AI Block Generation
Natural language → Blockly blocks
Generate Blockly blocks from natural-language prompts and add them to your workspace automatically.
Multilingual prompts supported (English, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, and more).
AI Help (Chat)
Conversational assistant for DigiCode
Ask questions about how to use DigiCode in a conversational format. Conversation history is preserved and can be exported.
Helps users learn the editor and troubleshoot common issues alongside block generation.
🔑 Why BYOK
- Privacy: Your API key is stored in your browser's localStorage. Prompts and generated outputs never pass through Digico's servers.
- Cost: AI usage is billed by your chosen provider directly. Digico does not bill or mark up AI usage.
- Flexibility: Switch between providers and models freely. Reuse API keys you already have.
🌐 Supported AI providers
- ✓ OpenAI (GPT family)
- ✓ Anthropic Claude
- ✓ Google Gemini
- ✓ Custom (OpenAI-compatible) — including local LLMs such as Ollama
See each provider's official site for the latest model names, pricing, and rate limits.
⚠️ AI Block Generation is currently in MVP stage: generations are append-only (added to existing blocks) and one-shot (no carry-over from previous prompts). Wi-Fi/BLE blocks are not included in some robot modes — these are known limitations we plan to improve.
🔌 Supported Boards
ESP32, M5Stack, Seeed XIAO, and Raspberry Pi Pico families
Generic ESP32
- • ESP32 (original) — most common
- • ESP32-S3 — high performance
- • ESP32-C3 — low power, RISC-V
- • ESP32-C6 — Matter-ready
M5Stack family
- • M5Stack Basic / Gray / Fire
- • M5StickC Plus
- • ATOM Lite / Matrix
- • M5Stamp Pico / C3 / C3U / S3A
Seeed XIAO family
- • XIAO ESP32C3
- • XIAO ESP32S3 — with camera support
- • XIAO ESP32C6
- • XIAO RP2040
Raspberry Pi / RP2040
- • Raspberry Pi Pico
- • Raspberry Pi Pico W
- • Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect
✨ What Makes DigiCode Different
Capabilities you won't find in tools like mBlock or ArduBlock — built for hardware design, education, and real-world IoT
Custom GPIO pin assignments
Override the default pin numbers used by each block to match your own hardware. Save assignments as presets and switch between them per project or board.
PID tuning tool
Tune Kp/Ki/Kd via sliders for line-following, wall-following, speed and angle control. Save presets and stream values to a connected ESP32 in real time — a major time-saver for robotics competitions.
Batch OTA flashing
Flash multiple ESP32 devices simultaneously over Wi-Fi OTA. Designed for classrooms and workshops where 10–20 robots need to be updated at once. Per-device progress is shown live. * Currently a beta feature — large-scale validation is ongoing.
MQTT / Home Assistant blocks
21 MQTT communication blocks plus 43 Home Assistant Auto Discovery blocks. Define entities (sensors, switches, lights, fans, etc.) right from the block editor — they auto-register with Home Assistant.
Local compile server (Docker)
Run our public Docker image (ghcr.io/fablab-westharima/digicode-compile-api) locally to compile from your own machine. Same image as our cloud, so results match exactly. Works
offline and doesn't consume your cloud compile quota.
🏫 Class Management for Education
Instructors create classes, issue student accounts, distribute assignments, and grade — all from one UI
📚 Create & manage classes
Choose between Workshop (1-month) and Classroom (4-month) classes. Up to 3 classes × 40 students per admin (120 students total). Auto-deletion at expiry, with banner warnings beforehand.
👥 Bulk student account creation
Paste a list of names and the system auto-generates login IDs and initial passwords. Download all credentials as CSV/HTML for distribution. Students can change their own passwords later.
📝 Assignment distribution (Blockly + PDF)
Distribute Blockly XML templates and PDF supplements to your whole class with year/month/day deadlines. Each student can only edit their own answer file (anti-cheating).
✅ Submissions, grading & rework
Students save and submit answers. Admins see a progress dashboard, view answers in a read-only Blockly viewer, score (0–100) with comments, or send back for revision.
📦 Clone & export class records
Clone an existing class's assignment templates (PDFs included) into a new class with one click. Export completed classes as ZIP archives (assignments, answers, grades CSV, student list).
🔄 Lifecycle management
Expired classes auto-delete at midnight JST, with banner alerts 7 days prior. On cancellation, a 1-month grace period applies before deletion. Students consume the admin's Enterprise compile quota (unlimited).
💰 Pricing
4 plans, paid plans starting at $5/month. The Free plan is permanently free.
See pricing for your region below.
ℹ️ Prices shown exclude tax. Applicable VAT / sales tax for your country or region will be added at checkout.
| Feature / Plan |
Guest $0 (no signup) |
Free $0/mo |
Lite $5/mo |
Pro $10/mo |
Enterprise $20/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud compile quota (per month) * Unlimited when paired with the local compile server (Docker) | 50* | 50* | 250* | 500* | Unlimited |
| Block programming (500+ blocks) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| USB / BLE / Wi-Fi OTA flashing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PID tuning & servo trim | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| MQTT / Home Assistant integration | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Local compile server (Docker) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 🤖 AI block generation & AI help (BYOK) OpenAI / Claude / Gemini / Custom | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom pin assign & servo pulse width | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Class management (for education / workshops) | — | — | — | — | ✓ |
📌 Billing & Subscription
- Payment provider:
- 🌏 Outside Japan: Lemon Squeezy (Merchant of Record, multi-currency)
- 🇯🇵 Japan residents: Stripe (Japanese yen)
- Term: Monthly auto-renewal. Cancel anytime via the provider's customer portal; invoices and receipts are downloadable.
- Mid-term refunds: No prorated refunds — service continues to month-end, then stops.
- Defects / service issues: Email us at contact@digi-co.jp within 7 days of subscription and we'll issue a refund or extend your subscription one month.
- Legal: Terms of Service / Refund Policy / Privacy Policy
📖 Documentation
From getting started, hardware setup, troubleshooting, to advanced topics
Set up and flash your first program over USB
List of validated devices
Detailed reference for every block
Wi-Fi OTA / BLE configuration
Common issues and solutions
FAQ, architecture, local server setup, and more
🏢 Developer / Operator
DigiCode is developed and operated by Digico, LLC.
Digico, LLC
合同会社デジコ
| Entity type | Limited Liability Company (LLC), Japan |
|---|---|
| Representative | Kazunari Takeda (竹田 一成) |
| Address |
580 Kuchihase, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5343, Japan （〒679-5343 兵庫県佐用郡佐用町口長谷580 ふれあい長谷 東館） |
| Business |
Operating FabLab Westharima Developing & operating DigiCode Custom manufacturing services (B2B) |
| Contact | info@fablab-westharima.jp |
Get started with DigiCode
Free plan available — paid plans start at $5/month.
Just open your browser and start programming microcontrollers.