ESP32 Over The Air (OTA) Web Updater In Arduino IDE

Tutorial For Programming ESP32 Over The Air OTA With Web Updater

A fantastic feature of any WiFi-enabled microcontroller like ESP32 is the ability to update its firmware wirelessly. This is known as Over-The-Air (OTA) programming.

What is OTA programming in ESP32?

The OTA programming allows updating/uploading a new program to ESP32 using Wi-Fi instead of requiring the user to connect the ESP32 to a computer via USB to perform the update.

OTA functionality is extremely useful in case of no physical access to the ESP module. It helps reduce the amount of time spent for updating each ESP module at the time of maintenance.

One important feature of OTA is that one central location can send an update to multiple ESPs sharing same network.

The only disadvantage is that you have to add an extra code for OTA with every sketch you upload, so that you’re able to use OTA in the next update.

Ways To Implement OTA In ESP32

There are two ways to implement OTA functionality in ESP32.

Basic OTA – Over-the-air updates are sent through Arduino IDE.
Web Updater OTA – Over-the-air updates are sent through a web browser.

Each one has its own advantages. You can implement any one according to your project’s requirement.

Below tutorial covers web updater OTA implementation. If you want to learn more about Basic OTA, please check this tutorial out.

Tutorial For Programming ESP32 Over The Air (OTA) With Arduino IDE

ESP32 Basic Over The Air (OTA) Programming In Arduino IDE

A fantastic feature of any WiFi-enabled microcontroller like ESP32 is the ability to update its firmware wirelessly. This is known as Over-The-Air (OTA) programming. What...

3 Simple Steps To Use OTA Web Updater with ESP32

Upload OTA Routine SeriallyThe first step is to upload the sketch containing OTA routine serially. It’s a mandatory step, so that you’re able to do the next updates/uploads over-the-air.
Access Web ServerThe OTA sketch creates a web server in STA mode which can be accessed via web browser. Once you login to the web server, you can upload new sketches.
Upload New Sketch Over-The-AirNow, you can upload new sketches to the ESP32 by generating & uploading compiled .bin file through a web server.

ESP32 Over The Air OTA Web Updater Working

Step 1: Upload OTA Routine Serially

The factory image in ESP32 doesn’t have an OTA Upgrade capability. So, the first step is to load the OTA firmware on the ESP32 through serial interface.

It’s a mandatory step to initially update the firmware, so that you’re able to do the next updates/uploads over-the-air.

The ESP32 add-on for the Arduino IDE comes with a OTA library & OTAWebUpdater example. You can access it through File > Examples >ArduinoOTA > OTAWebUpdater or through github.

The UI of this default OTA Web Updater is super ugly So, we modified the code to look more cooler and better. To start with, plug your ESP32 into your computer and upload below sketch.

Before you head for uploading the sketch, you need to make some changes to make it work for you. You need to modify the following two variables with your network credentials, so that ESP32 can establish a connection with existing network.

const char* ssid = "xxx";
const char* password = "xxxx";

Once you are done, go ahead and try the sketch out.

#include <WiFi.h>
#include <WiFiClient.h>
#include <WebServer.h>
#include <ESPmDNS.h>
#include <Update.h>

const char* host = "esp32";
const char* ssid = "xxx";
const char* password = "xxxx";

WebServer server(80);

/* Style */
String style =
"<style>#file-input,input{width:100%;height:44px;border-radius:4px;margin:10px auto;font-size:15px}"
"input{background:#f1f1f1;border:0;padding:0 15px}body{background:#3498db;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:#777}"
"#file-input{padding:0;border:1px solid #ddd;line-height:44px;text-align:left;display:block;cursor:pointer}"
"#bar,#prgbar{background-color:#f1f1f1;border-radius:10px}#bar{background-color:#3498db;width:0%;height:10px}"
"form{background:#fff;max-width:258px;margin:75px auto;padding:30px;border-radius:5px;text-align:center}"
".btn{background:#3498db;color:#fff;cursor:pointer}</style>";

/* Login page */
String loginIndex = 
"<form name=loginForm>"
"<h1>ESP32 Login</h1>"
"<input name=userid placeholder='User ID'> "
"<input name=pwd placeholder=Password type=Password> "
"<input type=submit onclick=check(this.form) class=btn value=Login></form>"
"<script>"
"function check(form) {"
"if(form.userid.value=='admin' && form.pwd.value=='admin')"
"{window.open('/serverIndex')}"
"else"
"{alert('Error Password or Username')}"
"}"
"</script>" + style;
 
/* Server Index Page */
String serverIndex = 
"<script src='https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.2.1/jquery.min.js'></script>"
"<form method='POST' action='#' enctype='multipart/form-data' id='upload_form'>"
"<input type='file' name='update' id='file' onchange='sub(this)' style=display:none>"
"<label id='file-input' for='file'>   Choose file...</label>"
"<input type='submit' class=btn value='Update'>"
"<br><br>"
"<div id='prg'></div>"
"<br><div id='prgbar'><div id='bar'></div></div><br></form>"
"<script>"
"function sub(obj){"
"var fileName = obj.value.split('\\\\');"
"document.getElementById('file-input').innerHTML = '   '+ fileName[fileName.length-1];"
"};"
"$('form').submit(function(e){"
"e.preventDefault();"
"var form = $('#upload_form')[0];"
"var data = new FormData(form);"
"$.ajax({"
"url: '/update',"
"type: 'POST',"
"data: data,"
"contentType: false,"
"processData:false,"
"xhr: function() {"
"var xhr = new window.XMLHttpRequest();"
"xhr.upload.addEventListener('progress', function(evt) {"
"if (evt.lengthComputable) {"
"var per = evt.loaded / evt.total;"
"$('#prg').html('progress: ' + Math.round(per*100) + '%');"
"$('#bar').css('width',Math.round(per*100) + '%');"
"}"
"}, false);"
"return xhr;"
"},"
"success:function(d, s) {"
"console.log('success!') "
"},"
"error: function (a, b, c) {"
"}"
"});"
"});"
"</script>" + style;

/* setup function */
void setup(void) {
  Serial.begin(115200);

  // Connect to WiFi network
  WiFi.begin(ssid, password);
  Serial.println("");

  // Wait for connection
  while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
    delay(500);
    Serial.print(".");
  }
  Serial.println("");
  Serial.print("Connected to ");
  Serial.println(ssid);
  Serial.print("IP address: ");
  Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());

  /*use mdns for host name resolution*/
  if (!MDNS.begin(host)) { //http://esp32.local
    Serial.println("Error setting up MDNS responder!");
    while (1) {
      delay(1000);
    }
  }
  Serial.println("mDNS responder started");
  /*return index page which is stored in serverIndex */
  server.on("/", HTTP_GET, []() {
    server.sendHeader("Connection", "close");
    server.send(200, "text/html", loginIndex);
  });
  server.on("/serverIndex", HTTP_GET, []() {
    server.sendHeader("Connection", "close");
    server.send(200, "text/html", serverIndex);
  });
  /*handling uploading firmware file */
  server.on("/update", HTTP_POST, []() {
    server.sendHeader("Connection", "close");
    server.send(200, "text/plain", (Update.hasError()) ? "FAIL" : "OK");
    ESP.restart();
  }, []() {
    HTTPUpload& upload = server.upload();
    if (upload.status == UPLOAD_FILE_START) {
      Serial.printf("Update: %s\n", upload.filename.c_str());
      if (!Update.begin(UPDATE_SIZE_UNKNOWN)) { //start with max available size
        Update.printError(Serial);
      }
    } else if (upload.status == UPLOAD_FILE_WRITE) {
      /* flashing firmware to ESP*/
      if (Update.write(upload.buf, upload.currentSize) != upload.currentSize) {
        Update.printError(Serial);
      }
    } else if (upload.status == UPLOAD_FILE_END) {
      if (Update.end(true)) { //true to set the size to the current progress
        Serial.printf("Update Success: %u\nRebooting...\n", upload.totalSize);
      } else {
        Update.printError(Serial);
      }
    }
  });
  server.begin();
}

void loop(void) {
  server.handleClient();
  delay(1);
}

Step 2: Access Web Server

The OTA Web Updater sketch creates a web server in STA mode which can be accessed via web browser and used to upload new sketches to your ESP32 over-the-air.

In order to access the web server, open the Serial Monitor at a baud rate of 115200. And press the EN button on ESP32. If everything is OK, it will output the dynamic IP address obtained from your router.

Next, load up a browser and point it to the IP address shown on the serial monitor. The ESP32 should serve up a web page asking for login credentials.

Enter the User ID and the Password:

User ID: admin

Password: admin

In case you want to change the User ID and Password, change below code in your sketch.

"if(form.userid.value=='admin' && form.pwd.value=='admin')"

Once you log-in to the system, you’ll be redirected to the /serverIndex page. This page allows you to upload a new sketches to your ESP32 over-the-air. The new sketch being uploaded should be in the complied binary .bin format. We will see how to do that in next step.

Warning:

The login functionality doesn’t protect /serverIndex page. This problem could let users get into the system without logging in.

Step 3: Upload New Sketch Over-The-Air

Now, let’s upload a new sketch over-the-air.

Remember! you need to add the code OTA Web Updater in every sketch you upload. Otherwise, you’ll loose OTA capability and will not be able to do next uploads over-the-air. So, it’s recommended to modify the above code to include your new code.

As an example we will include a simple Blink sketch in the OTA web updater code. Remember to modify the SSID and password variables with your network credentials.

Changes in the above Web Updater OTA program are highlighted in Blue.

#include <WiFi.h>
#include <WiFiClient.h>
#include <WebServer.h>
#include <ESPmDNS.h>
#include <Update.h>

const char* host = "esp32";
const char* ssid = "xxx";
const char* password = "xxxx";

//variabls for blinking an LED with Millis
const int led = 2; // ESP32 Pin to which onboard LED is connected
unsigned long previousMillis = 0;  // will store last time LED was updated
const long interval = 1000;  // interval at which to blink (milliseconds)
int ledState = LOW;  // ledState used to set the LED
WebServer server(80);

/* Style */
String style =
"<style>#file-input,input{width:100%;height:44px;border-radius:4px;margin:10px auto;font-size:15px}"
"input{background:#f1f1f1;border:0;padding:0 15px}body{background:#3498db;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:#777}"
"#file-input{padding:0;border:1px solid #ddd;line-height:44px;text-align:left;display:block;cursor:pointer}"
"#bar,#prgbar{background-color:#f1f1f1;border-radius:10px}#bar{background-color:#3498db;width:0%;height:10px}"
"form{background:#fff;max-width:258px;margin:75px auto;padding:30px;border-radius:5px;text-align:center}"
".btn{background:#3498db;color:#fff;cursor:pointer}</style>";

/* Login page */
String loginIndex = 
"<form name=loginForm>"
"<h1>ESP32 Login</h1>"
"<input name=userid placeholder='User ID'> "
"<input name=pwd placeholder=Password type=Password> "
"<input type=submit onclick=check(this.form) class=btn value=Login></form>"
"<script>"
"function check(form) {"
"if(form.userid.value=='admin' && form.pwd.value=='admin')"
"{window.open('/serverIndex')}"
"else"
"{alert('Error Password or Username')}"
"}"
"</script>" + style;
 
/* Server Index Page */
String serverIndex = 
"<script src='https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.2.1/jquery.min.js'></script>"
"<form method='POST' action='#' enctype='multipart/form-data' id='upload_form'>"
"<input type='file' name='update' id='file' onchange='sub(this)' style=display:none>"
"<label id='file-input' for='file'>   Choose file...</label>"
"<input type='submit' class=btn value='Update'>"
"<br><br>"
"<div id='prg'></div>"
"<br><div id='prgbar'><div id='bar'></div></div><br></form>"
"<script>"
"function sub(obj){"
"var fileName = obj.value.split('\\\\');"
"document.getElementById('file-input').innerHTML = '   '+ fileName[fileName.length-1];"
"};"
"$('form').submit(function(e){"
"e.preventDefault();"
"var form = $('#upload_form')[0];"
"var data = new FormData(form);"
"$.ajax({"
"url: '/update',"
"type: 'POST',"
"data: data,"
"contentType: false,"
"processData:false,"
"xhr: function() {"
"var xhr = new window.XMLHttpRequest();"
"xhr.upload.addEventListener('progress', function(evt) {"
"if (evt.lengthComputable) {"
"var per = evt.loaded / evt.total;"
"$('#prg').html('progress: ' + Math.round(per*100) + '%');"
"$('#bar').css('width',Math.round(per*100) + '%');"
"}"
"}, false);"
"return xhr;"
"},"
"success:function(d, s) {"
"console.log('success!') "
"},"
"error: function (a, b, c) {"
"}"
"});"
"});"
"</script>" + style;

/* setup function */
void setup(void) {

pinMode(led,  OUTPUT);
  Serial.begin(115200);

  // Connect to WiFi network
  WiFi.begin(ssid, password);
  Serial.println("");

  // Wait for connection
  while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
    delay(500);
    Serial.print(".");
  }
  Serial.println("");
  Serial.print("Connected to ");
  Serial.println(ssid);
  Serial.print("IP address: ");
  Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());

  /*use mdns for host name resolution*/
  if (!MDNS.begin(host)) { //http://esp32.local
    Serial.println("Error setting up MDNS responder!");
    while (1) {
      delay(1000);
    }
  }
  Serial.println("mDNS responder started");
  /*return index page which is stored in serverIndex */
  server.on("/", HTTP_GET, []() {
    server.sendHeader("Connection", "close");
    server.send(200, "text/html", loginIndex);
  });
  server.on("/serverIndex", HTTP_GET, []() {
    server.sendHeader("Connection", "close");
    server.send(200, "text/html", serverIndex);
  });
  /*handling uploading firmware file */
  server.on("/update", HTTP_POST, []() {
    server.sendHeader("Connection", "close");
    server.send(200, "text/plain", (Update.hasError()) ? "FAIL" : "OK");
    ESP.restart();
  }, []() {
    HTTPUpload& upload = server.upload();
    if (upload.status == UPLOAD_FILE_START) {
      Serial.printf("Update: %s\n", upload.filename.c_str());
      if (!Update.begin(UPDATE_SIZE_UNKNOWN)) { //start with max available size
        Update.printError(Serial);
      }
    } else if (upload.status == UPLOAD_FILE_WRITE) {
      /* flashing firmware to ESP*/
      if (Update.write(upload.buf, upload.currentSize) != upload.currentSize) {
        Update.printError(Serial);
      }
    } else if (upload.status == UPLOAD_FILE_END) {
      if (Update.end(true)) { //true to set the size to the current progress
        Serial.printf("Update Success: %u\nRebooting...\n", upload.totalSize);
      } else {
        Update.printError(Serial);
      }
    }
  });
  server.begin();
}

void loop(void) {
  server.handleClient();
  delay(1);

//loop to blink without delay
 unsigned long currentMillis = millis();
 if (currentMillis - previousMillis >= interval) {
 // save the last time you blinked the LED
 previousMillis = currentMillis;
 // if the LED is off turn it on and vice-versa:
 ledState = not(ledState);
 // set the LED with the ledState of the variable:
 digitalWrite(led,  ledState);
 }
}

In above program, we have not used delay() for blinking an LED, because ESP32 pauses your program during the delay(). If a web page is requested while Arduino is paused waiting for the delay() to pass, your program will miss that request.