The Official Raspberry Pi Beginner's Guide: How to Use Your New Computer

Learn how to set up your Raspberry Pi, write code, and build projects with electronic components.

Raspberry Pi is a small, clever, British-built computer that's packed with potential. Made using a desktop-class, energy-efficient processor, Raspberry Pi is designed to help you learn coding, discover how computers work, and build your own amazing things. This book was written to show you just how easy it is to get started.

Learn how to:

• Set up your Raspberry Pi, install its operating system, and start using this fully functional computer.
• Start coding projects, with step-by-step guides using the Scratch 3, Python, and MicroPython programming languages.
• Experiment with connecting electronic components, and have fun creating amazing projects.
• Take photos with the Raspberry Pi Camera Module.

This revised edition is updated for the latest Raspberry Pi computers and software, including the Raspberry Pi 500+ and Raspberry Pi OS Trixie.

Whichever model you have, a standard Raspberry Pi board; a compact Raspberry Pi Zero; or a Raspberry Pi with integrated keyboard, this affordable computer can be used to learn coding, build robots, and create all kinds of weird and wonderful projects. If you want to make games, build robots, or hack a variety of amazing projects, then this book is here to help you get started.

Also available in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish editions.​

Gareth Halfacree is a freelance technology journalist, writer, and former system administrator in the education sector. With a passion for open-source software and hardware, he was an early adopter of the Raspberry Pi platform and has written several publications on its capabilities and flexibility. He can be found on Mastodon as @ghalfacree@mastodon.social or via his website at freelance.halfacree.co.uk.