What is ROS and what does the ros.org website offer?

Updated

ROS (Robot Operating System) is a set of open-source software libraries and tools for building robot applications, and ros.org is its main community and information hub. It suits developers, students, and researchers who need drivers, algorithms, developer tools, documentation, and community support for robotics projects. The site itself is informational and community-oriented; it presents ROS releases and links to documentation, Q&A, forums, packages, and chat rather than acting as a single download or account portal.

What ROS provides

According to the ros.org homepage, ROS covers:

  • Drivers for connecting robot hardware
  • State-of-the-art algorithms for robotics tasks
  • Powerful developer tools for building applications
  • Open-source availability across the stack

The site frames this as everything needed for "your next robotics project," from low-level hardware access to higher-level functionality.

ROS 2 releases highlighted on the site

The homepage features current ROS 2 distributions, including long-term support (LTS) releases:

Release Support Targeted platforms
Lyrical Luth Until 2031 (latest LTS) Ubuntu 26.04 (Resolute), Windows 11
Jazzy Jalisco Latest ROS 2 LTS Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble), Windows 10

The site notes that other systems are supported "to varying degrees," so platform choice should be checked against the specific release you plan to use.

Community and support resources

ros.org points to several distinct support channels, each with a different purpose:

  • Documentation and tutorials for ROS 2 — the primary learning path
  • Robotics Stack Exchange — ask questions and get answers
  • Forums — read the latest discussions
  • Zulip Chat — talk directly with maintainers and the community
  • Packages — browse available ROS packages
  • ROSCon — conference information and recordings

Recent updates on the homepage include ROSCon 2025 recordings, a post on ROS 2 Kilted running natively on macOS Apple Silicon, and weekly ROS news roundups.

Who runs it

The site states it is brought to you by Open Robotics and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0, with a ©2026 Open Robotics notice. That licensing applies to the site content; the software itself is described as open source.

How to use the site

  1. Start with Getting Started or the ROS 2 documentation to install a release and follow tutorials.
  2. Pick a release based on your OS and support horizon — for example, an LTS release if you need long-term stability.
  3. Use Stack Exchange or Zulip when you hit problems the documentation doesn't cover.
  4. Check Packages before building functionality that may already exist.
  5. Watch ROSCon recordings for applied talks and project examples.

The main practical caution: confirm your operating system against the release's targeted platforms before committing, since support outside the listed Ubuntu and Windows versions varies.