Raspberry Pi Image Builder with Node-RED and Dashboard

This repository automates the creation of a custom Raspberry Pi image pre-installed with Node-RED and its Dashboard. Using GitHub Actions, the image is built with pi-gen and deployed as downloadable releases.

Features

• Automated image building and release using pi-gen-action.
• Pre-installed Node-RED and Node-RED Dashboard.
• Configured to work out-of-the-box for Raspberry Pi devices.

Getting Started

Download the Image

Head to the Releases section to download the latest Raspberry Pi image. Flash it to your SD card using a tool like Raspberry Pi Imager or Balena Etcher.

Prerequisites

• A Raspberry Pi
• A microSD card (8 GB or larger recommended).
• Optional: Ethernet or Wi-Fi setup if network connectivity is required.

Flashing the Image

1. Download the .img file from the Releases section.
2. Use Raspberry Pi Imager or Balena Etcher to flash the image to your microSD card.
3. Insert the microSD card into your Raspberry Pi and power it on.

Accessing Node-RED

1. Open a web browser and navigate to http://<your-pi-ip>:1880.
2. Customize and deploy your flows using the built-in Node-RED editor.
3. Use the Node-RED Dashboard at http://<your-pi-ip>:1880/ui to interact with your projects.

How It Works

GitHub Actions

This project uses pi-gen-action to automate the build process. Upon every push to the main branch or when manually triggered, GitHub Actions:

1. Clones the pi-gen repository.
2. Applies customizations for Node-RED and the Dashboard.
3. Builds the Raspberry Pi image.
4. Uploads the image as a release artifact.

Directory Structure

• stage-ezui: Contains customization scripts and configuration for Node-RED.
• .github/workflows: Defines the GitHub Actions workflows.

Development and Customization

Modifying Node-RED Configuration

To customize the Node-RED environment:

1. Update the files in the stage-ezui directory.
2. Push changes to the repository. The new image will be built and released automatically.

Testing Locally

You can build the image locally using pi-gen. Refer to the pi-gen documentation for setup instructions.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request to suggest changes or enhancements.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Acknowledgments

• pi-gen - The official Raspberry Pi image builder.
• pi-gen-action - GitHub Action for pi-gen.
• Node-RED - Low-code programming for event-driven applications.

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