Raspberry Pi is a small, affordable, and versatile single-board computer that was created with the aim of promoting learning about computer science and programming. It is designed to be accessible to students, hobbyists, and professionals alike. Raspberry Pi has gained immense popularity due to its low cost, compact size, and the ability to interface with various hardware components. Some of the applications of Raspberry Pi include: 1. Education: Raspberry Pi is widely used in schools and universities to teach programming, electronics, and computer science. Its affordability allows for widespread distribution in classrooms. 2. Home Automation: Raspberry Pi can be used as a central hub for controlling smart home devices such as lights, thermostats, security systems, and more. 3. Media Center: With media center software like Kodi or Plex installed on a Raspberry Pi, it can be turned into a powerful media streaming device that can play movies, music, and other digital content on your TV. 4. Retro Gaming Console: By installing retro gaming software like RetroPie or Lakka on a Raspberry Pi along with game ROMs, it can emulate classic gaming consoles like NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, and many others. 5. Robotics: Raspberry Pi's GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) pins allow for easy integration with sensors, motors, and other hardware components required for building robots or automation projects. 6. Internet of Things (IoT): Due to its small size and low power consumption, Raspberry Pi is commonly used in IoT projects where it can gather sensor data from the physical world and interact with cloud-based services. ## Umbrel OS on Raspberry Pi [[UmbrelOS]] – it is an open-source operating system specifically developed for running Bitcoin and Lightning Network nodes on a Raspberry Pi. It provides an all-in-one solution that simplifies the process of setting up a self-hosted Bitcoin server at home. UmbrelOS offers a user-friendly interface that allows users to monitor their Bitcoin node's status, manage wallets, and explore the Lightning Network. It also provides a marketplace for additional applications and services related to cryptocurrencies. UmbrelOS has gained popularity among Bitcoin enthusiasts who want to contribute to the decentralized nature of the network by running their own full nodes.