First App¶

Walk through the full NSX lifecycle — scaffold a project, resolve modules, compile firmware, flash it to an evaluation board, and watch live SWO output. The whole process takes about two minutes.

Prerequisites

Make sure nsx doctor passes before continuing. See Install and Setup if anything is missing.

The Five-Command Workflow¶

Every NSX project follows the same pattern:

flowchart LR
    A["nsx doctor"] --> B["nsx create-app"]
    B --> C["nsx configure"]
    C --> D["nsx build"]
    D --> E["nsx flash"]
    E --> F["nsx view"]

Step 1 — Check Your Environment¶

nsx doctor

doctor scans for Python, CMake, Ninja, the Arm toolchain, and J-Link. Fix any flagged issues before moving on.

Step 2 — Scaffold a New App¶

nsx create-app hello_ap510 --board apollo510_evb

NSX creates a new directory called hello_ap510/ containing:

File / Directory	Purpose
`nsx.yml`	App manifest — board target, modules, and options
`CMakeLists.txt`	Top-level CMake entry point
`src/main.c`	Minimal application source
`cmake/nsx/`	Generated CMake helpers
`boards/`	Board pin and clock configuration

Everything is ordinary CMake — no proprietary build wrappers.

Step 3 — Resolve Modules and Generate the Build¶

nsx configure --app-dir hello_ap510

configure reads nsx.yml, fetches any required modules from the registry (SDK provider, BSP, HAL, peripheral drivers), vendors them into modules/, and generates the CMake build tree under build/.

Note

First runs download modules from GitHub. Subsequent runs are fast because modules are cached locally.

Step 4 — Build the Firmware¶

nsx build --app-dir hello_ap510

CMake + Ninja compile and link the firmware. The output binary lands in build/ — typically a .bin and .axf file ready for flashing.

Step 5 — Flash the EVB (Optional)¶

nsx flash --app-dir hello_ap510

Requires a SEGGER J-Link connected to your Apollo510 EVB. The command programs the binary over SWD and resets the target.

Step 6 — Stream SWO Output (Optional)¶

nsx view --app-dir hello_ap510

Opens a live SWO viewer. You should see the hello-world print loop streaming from the board.

What's in the Generated App¶

After nsx configure, the full directory looks like:

hello_ap510/
├── nsx.yml
├── CMakeLists.txt
├── src/
│   └── main.c
├── cmake/nsx/
├── boards/
├── modules/          ← vendored registry modules
└── build/            ← CMake build tree

Both modules/ and build/ are gitignored by default and regenerated automatically — your source tree stays clean.

Next Steps¶

Examples — eight maintained example apps covering CoreMark, PMU profiling, power measurement, audio, and USB
App Layout — deep dive into the generated directory structure
Modules — add or remove dependencies from your app manifest