ESP32 Bus Pirate is an open-source firmware inspired by the original Bus Pirate from Dangerous Prototypes, which turns off-the-shelf (ESP32-S3) hardware into a multi-protocol hacker’s tool.
It supports sniffing, sending, scripting, and interacting with various digital protocols (I2C, UART, 1-Wire, SPI, etc.) via a serial terminal or web-based CLI. It’s been tested on Espressif ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1 development board, M5Stack Cardputer, M5StickC Plus2, Atom S3 Lite, M5Stamp S3, and LILYGO T-Embed (CC1101) boards.
ESP32 Bus Pirate firmware highlights:
- Interactive CLI via
- USB serial – For faster performance and high responsiveness
- Web interface (over WiFi) – No cable needed to the host, works from any web browser
- Supported Modes
- HiZ (default) – High-Z is a safe mode where all outputs are disabled and all power supplies are turned off
- I2C (scan, glitch, slave mode, dump)
- SPI (flash, SD card, slave mode)
- UART / Half-Duplex UART (bridge, read, write)
- 1-WIRE (ibutton, temp sensor)
- 2-WIRE (smartcard) / 3-WIRE (eeprom)
- DIO (Digital I/O, read, pullup, set)
- Infrared (Device-B-Gone, send and receive)
- USB (HID, mouse, keyboard, gamepad, storage)
- Bluetooth (BLE HID, scan, spoofing, sniffing)
- Wi-Fi (scan, AP, connect, sniff, deauth)
- JTAG (scan pinout, SWD)
- LED control (animations, set LEDs)
- I2S audio
- CAN Bus
- Protocol sniffers for I2C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 1Wire, CAN.
- Scripting using Bus Pirate-style bytecode instructions.
You’ll find the C++ source code, firmware files for the supported targets, and documentation for each mode on GitHub under a permissive MIT License. The developer (Geo) warns that devices should only operate at 3.3V or 5V, and connecting peripherals using other voltage levels may damage your ESP32. If you need more flexibility for the voltage levels, you may have to get a Bus Pirate hardware tool, like the latest Bus Pirate 5XL and 6 based on Raspberry Pi RP2350A/RP2350B, especially now that the RP2350 A4 stepping with E9 GPIO Erratum fix is out.
Via Hackster.io
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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