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Core Concepts

In Editor for ESPHome, the final device configuration is not written in a single YAML file. Instead, it’s dynamically assembled from multiple source and patch files.

This modular approach makes it easy to manage, reuse, and tweak parts of your device configuration — without repeating yourself.

How Compilation Works​

Editor for ESPHome does not compile or flash firmware itself. Instead, it:

  1. Assembles your configuration files into a single YAML file
  2. Connects to your existing ESPHome Builder
  3. Uploads the generated YAML file to ESPHome

ESPHome then handles the actual compilation and firmware flashing, as usual.

Step-by-Step Process​

  1. Scan the Device Directory
    The editor scans the selected device folder for source files.

  2. Preprocess Source Files
    Files using template syntax (like .eta.js) are rendered into plain YAML.

  3. Merge into a Single YAML
    All processed files are combined into a single YAML configuration.

  4. Apply Patches
    The editor scans for any patch files, processes them, and applies them to the merged YAML to produce the final ESPHome-compatible configuration.

  5. Upload to ESPHome
    The final YAML is uploaded to your ESPHome Builder for compilation or flashing.

tip

You can enable or disable individual files to quickly test different configurations or features.

Next up: Let’s look at how to structure a project.