# Programming Particle Photon with Arduino IDE **URL:** \ **Category:** Firmware\ **Created:** [May 26, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/programming-particle-photon-with-arduino-ide/23177 "2016-05-26T01:15:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rrwiyatn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9de0a6/32.png) [@rrwiyatn](https://community.particle.io/u/rrwiyatn)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/programming-particle-photon-with-arduino-ide/23177/1 "2016-05-26T01:15:30Z")
Hi, I just bought Photon and am wondering if we can actually program Photon with Arduino IDE? Rey ---
**Author:** ![Moors7](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/community.particle.io/moors7/32/588_2.png) [@Moors7](https://community.particle.io/u/Moors7)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/programming-particle-photon-with-arduino-ide/23177/2 "2016-05-26T01:30:23Z")
Searching never hurt anyone… [http://community.particle.io/search?q=arduino%20ide](http://community.particle.io/search?q=arduino%20ide) Long story short; no, it’s currently not possible to use the arduino IDE. Any reason you’d want to? ---
**Author:** ![WarthogARJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@WarthogARJ](https://community.particle.io/u/WarthogARJ)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 9:13pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/programming-particle-photon-with-arduino-ide/23177/3 "2017-09-17T21:13:58Z")
This was a sensible question, and I don’t see a sensible answer to it. I don’t think anyone appreciated your reply “searching never hurt anyone”: doesn’t seem very nice comment. Arduino IDE is the main platform for Arduino applications:" it supports dozens of boards. Why not the Photon? You can buy a great ESP8266 board with Wifi and STM32 for much less, and it IS supported by Arduino IDE. I googled, and found: > **[After using the Particle Photon I think the ESP8266 is a piece of... beautifully...](https://www.reddit.com/r/esp8266/comments/3ep89u/after_using_the_particle_photon_i_think_the/)** > > 1. Sure the Particle Photon has a more powerful processor, but what good is that if you can't access its native functions out of the box (you... ---
**Author:** ![Moors7](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/community.particle.io/moors7/32/588_2.png) [@Moors7](https://community.particle.io/u/Moors7)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 10:18pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/programming-particle-photon-with-arduino-ide/23177/4 "2017-09-17T22:18:50Z")
> [@WarthogARJ](#): > > I don't think anyone appreciated your reply "searching never hurt anyone": doesn't seem very nice comment. Though I can understand not everyone might like that answer as much as they'd like the spoon-fed one, it's sometimes necessary to direct folks to the search tools, rather than answer the same question over, and over, again. The latter benefits no-one. The question had been asked before, and answered before. Even the forum rules indicate that you should make an effort to find an answer before asking. The forum software itself recommends similar topics when trying to create one. As to the actual question... > [@WarthogARJ](#): > > Arduino IDE is the main platform for Arduino applications:" The simplest answer would be that the Particle is _not_ an Arduino, though it's similar. A different, but equally valid answer, would be that adding the Arduino IDE would mean _yet another_ tool to create/maintain/update/support, compromising other features/resources. The Arduino IDE is also rather limited in what in can do. The Web IDE, DEV, CLI, or a local toolchain are a bit more flexible in that regard. In regard to the Reddit post... I _personally_ find it looking more like a ESP advertisement than it is an honest review of the Photon since I can't testify to any of the 'issues' the OP mentioned. It's also ~2 years old. Not sure what point you were trying to make by linking to it though?