What Is a Raspberry Pi?

The little green $30 computer explained

You’ve seen it on the news, your friend has one and you’re pretty sure it’s not food. You’ve been told “It’s a $30 computer that fits in your pocket” but you’re not quite ready to believe that.

So, what is a Raspberry Pi?

Well, you’ve come to the right place. Let's explain what this little green board is, why you might want one and how it's attracted such a huge following.

A Visual Introduction

Raspberry Pi 3
Raspberry Pi 3.

Lifewire / Richard Saville

Let’s start with a picture of the most recent version, the Raspberry Pi 3.

When people tell you the Raspberry Pi is a "$30 computer” they usually forget to tell that you only get the board for that headline cost. No screen, no drives, no peripherals, and no casing. That strapline is impressive but it can cause confusion.

So What Is It?

Raspberry Pi 40 pin GPIO
The 40-pin GPIO header.

Lifewire / Richard Saville

The Raspberry Pi is a micro-computer initially designed for education. It has all of the components you would see on a normal family desktop PC — a processor, RAM, HDMI port, audio output and USB ports for adding peripherals like a keyboard and mouse.

Alongside these recognizable components is one of the key parts of the Pi — the GPIO (General Purpose Input Output) header.

This is a block of pins that let you connect your Raspberry Pi to the real world, connecting things like switches, LEDs, and sensors (and much more) which you can control with some simple code.

It also runs a full desktop operating system based on Linux Debian, called ‘Raspbian’. If that doesn’t mean much to you, consider that Windows, Linux, and Apple OS X are all operating systems.

The PC Comparison Ends There

Computer Motherboard

Pasieka / Getty Images

The comparison to a normal desktop PC pretty much ends there.

The Raspberry Pi is a low power (5V) micro-computer. It’s powered by a micro-USB power supply similar to your smartphone charger and offers computing power akin to your mobile device as well.

This low power setup is perfect for programming and electronic projects, however, it’ll feel a little sluggish if you plan on using it as your day to day PC.

The latest Raspberry Pi 3 offers us greater performance than ever before on a Raspberry Pi, but the desktop environment still won’t feel quite as snappy as your home computer.

What Is It for Then?

Little girl learning to code on desktop computer at home

Imgorthand / Getty Images

The Pi wasn’t really designed to be your next office PC, and before you ask, no it doesn't run Windows! It doesn't come in a case and you probably won't see it replacing PCs in an office anytime soon.

The Pi is geared more towards programming and electronics, initially created to tackle the decreasing number of students with skills and interest in computer science.

However as its popularity and visibility has increased, people of all ages and backgrounds have formed a huge community of enthusiasts all eager to learn.

What Can I Do With It?

Raspberry Pi LED project

Lifewire / Richard Saville

If you want to use your Pi to improve your coding skills, you can use one of the many supported programming languages (such as Python) to create your own programs. That could be anything from simply printing "Hello world" on screen, up to more complex projects like making your own games.

Those with an interest in hardware and electronics can enhance this programming by using the GPIO to add switches, sensors and real-world physical 'inputs' to talk to this code.

You can also add physical 'outputs' like LEDs, speakers and motors to do 'things' when your code tells them to. Put these all together and you can be making something like a robot in no time at all.

Moving away from programming, there are a large number of users that simply buy a Pi as an alternative to other devices. Using a Pi as a KODI media center is a very popular project, for example, taking place of more expensive 'off the shelf' alternatives.

There are lots of other uses too, thousands in fact. We'll be covering some of these shortly.

No Experience Necessary

Socially anxious computer programmers may have the ideal job for regulating anxiety.

People Images / Getty Images

You probably think you need some prior programming or electronics experience to get along with this little green board. That’s an unfortunate view that we imagine has put off thousands of potential users.

You really don’t need much history with computers to start using a Raspberry Pi. If you already use a PC or laptop, you’ll be just fine. Yes, you will have some things to learn, but that’s the whole point.

The masses of resources and community support is almost a guarantee that you won’t get stuck. If you can use Google, you can use a Raspberry Pi!

Why Is It So Popular?

NanoPi 2 board

Lifewire / Richard Saville

The Raspberry Pi's popularity and ongoing success is due to its accessible price and incredible community.

At just $30 it has attracted a huge range of users from school children to professional programmers, but ​the price isn’t the only factor here.

Other similar products that have tried to cash in on this market haven’t even come close, and that's because the community around the Raspberry Pi is what makes it so special.

If you get stuck, need advice or are just looking for inspiration, the internet is bustling with fellow users offering help via forums, blogs, social networks and more.

There are even opportunities to meet in person at ‘Raspberry Jams’ where like-minded enthusiasts come together to share projects, troubleshoot and socialize.

Where Can I Get One?

Raspberry Pi Store Page

We'll be publishing a Raspberry Pi buying guide soon, as it can be a bit confusing at first due to the number of different models currently on sale. If you can't wait until then, here are some of the main stores to buy one:


With the board being born in the UK, there are naturally a lot of Pi shops on our little green island. Key Pi superstores like The Pi Hut, Pimoroni, ModMyPi, PiSupply, and RS Electronics will have them in stock and ready to post.


In America, electrical superstores like Micro Center will have a good stock of the Pi, as will Newark Element14 and maker stores like Adafruit.

Rest of the world

Other countries do have Pi shops here and there, but popularity isn't as strong as the UK and USA. A quick look on your country's search engine should bring up local results.

Go Get a Slice!

So there you have it, the Raspberry Pi.

Hopefully this satisfied your curiosity and maybe even made you hungry for a ‘slice’ yourself.

We will be covering more starter topics on the Pi such as which model of Pi to buy, initial set up, simple starter projects and much more.