Zephyr RTOS is a highly modular, open-source, and real-time operating system designed for embedded systems, particularly for Internet of Things (IoT), industrial, and wearable devices. Managed by the Linux Foundation, it supports a variety of hardware platforms, including ARM, x86, RISC-V, ARC, and others, making it versatile for different architectures. Zephyr's modular design allows developers to tailor the operating system to fit the specific needs of their application, only including the necessary components, which optimizes both memory footprint and performance.

Zephyr provides essential real-time OS features such as multi-threading, preemptive and cooperative scheduling, inter-process communication (IPC) mechanisms like message queues, semaphores, and mutexes, as well as timers and interrupt handling. It also includes robust device driver support, along with built-in networking capabilities that support protocols such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, IPv4/IPv6, and 6LoWPAN.

One of Zephyr’s strengths is its security framework, which offers features like stack protection, memory isolation, and secure boot, essential for IoT and other connected devices. It also complies with several industry standards, including functional safety (ISO 26262) and cybersecurity (CWE, CVE). Zephyr is used in industries like automotive, healthcare, and industrial automation where high reliability and security are crucial. Backed by a strong community and supported by companies like Intel, Nordic Semiconductor, NXP, and Google, Zephyr continues to grow as a preferred choice for embedded systems development.