Install west with Homebrew, apt

Project links

• Homepage

Commands and aliases

• west

Project history

west was added because Zephyr needed two things at once: a standardized way to work with multiple Git repositories and an extensible command-line interface for basic Zephyr workflows. Zephyr's own history-and-motivation page explains that existing tools such as Git submodules and Google's Repo were examined but did not satisfy the project's requirements, including downstream overrides, Windows support, and commit-based or continuous project updating.

The GitHub repository was created in May 2018, and Zephyr 1.14-era release material introduced west for multiple-repository management plus improved flashing and debugging. That timing matches Zephyr's transition from a single RTOS repository mindset toward a modular embedded ecosystem with external modules, HALs, tools, samples, and downstream distributions.

west evolved through a pre-1.0 period where the tool's packaging and manifest APIs were still settling. Its v0.6 line removed the old split bootstrapper model and made core commands part of the PyPI-distributed package. West v1.0.0, published in February 2023, declared the APIs stable and dropped the compatibility modules needed by the old Zephyr 1.14 LTS line.

Adoption history

west adoption is tied directly to Zephyr adoption: most Zephyr users encounter it during workspace setup. The standard flow is `west init` to create a workspace and clone the manifest repository, followed by `west update` to fetch the projects named in the manifest. Vendors and downstreams also use west manifests to pin Zephyr and module revisions for reproducible embedded products.

Because Zephyr is not just a kernel tree but a collection of code, modules, vendor HALs, and tools, west became the package-nerd-visible front door for many embedded developers. It is also extensible, so Zephyr can expose workflow commands such as build, flash, debug, and signing through the same top-level CLI.

How it is used

west workspaces contain a `.west` directory, a manifest repository, and multiple project repositories defined in a YAML manifest, usually `west.yml`. The command's core model is deterministic: the manifest repository's commits name exact or trackable revisions in project repositories, and `west update` makes the workspace match that manifest.

Typical users run `west init -m` with a Zephyr or downstream manifest, `west update` to clone modules, and Zephyr extension commands such as `west build`, `west flash`, or `west debug` during firmware work. Advanced users use `west manifest`, `west list`, `west forall`, `west compare`, and newer commands such as `west grep` to inspect or operate across a multi-repository workspace.

Why package nerds care

west is significant because it packages Zephyr's multi-repository source distribution into a single command-line mental model. For embedded developers, installing `west` is often the step that turns a pile of Git repositories into a coherent Zephyr SDK-style workspace.

Timeline

• May 2018: zephyrproject-rtos/west repository is created.
• Zephyr 1.14 era: west is introduced for multiple repository management and enhanced flashing/debugging workflows.
• v0.6.x: west moves away from a split bootstrapper model and is distributed as one PyPI package.
• February 20, 2023: west v1.0.0 is published with stable APIs and no Zephyr 1.14 LTS compatibility modules.
• 2023-2025: later releases add workspace comparison, grep, aliases, manifest filtering, packaging updates, and auto-caching support.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/zephyrproject-rtos/west
• https://api.github.com/repos/zephyrproject-rtos/west/releases?per_page=100
• https://docs.zephyrproject.org/latest/develop/west/basics.html
• https://docs.zephyrproject.org/latest/develop/west/index.html
• https://docs.zephyrproject.org/latest/develop/west/manifest.html
• https://docs.zephyrproject.org/latest/develop/west/release-notes.html
• https://docs.zephyrproject.org/latest/develop/west/why.html
• https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/west