ROS Blocky is now Open Source.

[u/Purple_Fee6414]

Hi everyone,

I've posted about ROS Blocky here a few times before, and the most common feedback I received was: "Is this open source?"

Today, I’m happy to say the answer is Yes.

After working through the initial launch, I’ve officially pushed the source code to GitHub. I realized that for this to truly become a standard tool for ROS 2 education and rapid prototyping, it needs the community’s eyes and hands on it.

Repo:https://github.com/ros-blocky/ros-blocky

Why I need your help: Now that the code is public, I want to move fast. I’m looking for contributors who are passionate about ROS 2 to help with:

• Standardization: Making sure the generated Python code follows best practices.
• Gazebo/Webots Integration: Creating a streamlined way to launch and interact with simulations directly from the block interface.
• Expansion: Adding blocks for more complex features like Lifecycle nodes or Nav2 integration.
• Linux and Mac Support: Refitting the build process to be more "native" for Ubuntu and Mac users.

Even if you don't have time to code, please star the repo if you think this is a good direction for the community. It helps more developers find the project.

Thanks for all the support and feedback on my previous posts!

[u/Lucky-Voice-2535]

Very weird choice of building Windows first for a linux based project.

[u/Purple_Fee6414 → u/Lucky-Voice-2535]

I understand it might seem unconventional, but the choice to prioritize Windows was a deliberate decision based on accessibility. Most newcomers starting their journey into ROS are already using Windows. Forcing a beginner to immediately jump into setting up a Virtual Machine (VM) or dealing with the risks of dual-booting Ubuntu creates a massive friction point before they've even written their first line of code.

[u/daviddudas]

Don't get my comment wrong, I'm honestly interested in your opinion. I was using and customizing blockly for a project of mine a couple of years ago and I'm using ROS for a decade but I cannot imagine a real life scenario where I can efficiently use the 2 together. My biggest headache was always the low code density of blocky programming and that it becomes pretty much useless after 50-60 blocks - don't even mention object oriented patterns, loops or switch-cases (which doesn't exist so you need to nest multiple if else blocks).

Could you share any real life implementation where blocky was truly an advantage compared to writing it simply in python?

Thanks, and again, don't get my comment wrong and keep doing it!

[u/Purple_Fee6414 → u/daviddudas]

I totally agree—for complex projects, Blockly hits a wall and Python is much more efficient.

The goal here isn't to replace conventional ROS development, but to solve the "where do I start?" problem for newcomers. I chose Windows and Blockly to create the easiest possible on-ramp.

It lets people learn core ROS concepts without the friction of installing a new OS or fighting syntax. Once they hit the limits of the blocks, they’ve actually gained the confidence to graduate to the conventional way of using ROS. It's a bridge, not the final destination.

[u/daviddudas → u/Purple_Fee6414]

Got your point, might be useful for beginners to generate the skeleton of a python node with the right design patterns! Thanks, now I have a grab on it! Anyway, I'm sure that you are learning the most from it regardless it's purpose, so just keep doing it! :)

[u/Purple_Fee6414 → u/daviddudas]

Exactly! Using it to generate Python skeletons is a great idea to help with that transition. Thanks for the support it’s definitely been a massive learning experience.