HackerReposA FIELD GUIDE TO OPEN SOURCE
ProSponsor the shelf♧ 0
← Back to top all-time
commaai
openpilot
Python2016–2026
commaai / openpilot

openpilot

openpilot is an operating system for robotics. Currently, it upgrades the driver assistance system on 300+ supported cars.

Systems & InfrastructureScience & EngineeringRobotics & IoT
Explore on GitHubRead Hacker News discussions
95Distinct people
157Mentions
0Explicit recommenders
64.1KGitHub stars
REPOSITORY AT A GLANCE

What to know before exploring

What it is

openpilot is an operating system for robotics. Currently, it upgrades the driver assistance system on 300+ supported cars.

GitHub

Where it is used

  • CommaView — CommaView uses openpilot to render the driving screen or its own overlay and show driving data like speed, speed limit, lead vehicle, and lane changes. This is a shipped feature in its Live View. Source

What people are saying

No recommendation phrase was found in the indexed comments.

No classified warning is attached to this page. Read the discussions before treating silence as approval.

Also in these discussions

Mentioned in the same Hacker News threads. That is not proof they are substitutes.

This week on Hacker News

Nov 8–Nov 15 UTC · Direct repository links and separately labeled related project stories. Indexed through 11/15/2026, 3:30:57 AM UTC.

No direct repository links were found in the indexed HN discussions over the past seven days. Older discussions are available below.

Mentions over time

HN mentions by year157 dated mentions

Observed mentions: 2016-11-30 18:35:15 UTC to 2026-08-17 01:32:01 UTC.

01020302016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 17 mentions; 3 submissions, 14 comments20162017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 9 mentions; 0 submissions, 9 comments2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 18 mentions; 0 submissions, 18 comments2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 18 mentions; 1 submissions, 17 comments2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 33 mentions; 1 submissions, 32 comments2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 22 mentions; 5 submissions, 17 comments20212022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 9 mentions; 1 submissions, 8 comments2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 9 mentions; 3 submissions, 6 comments2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 12 mentions; 1 submissions, 11 comments2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 4 mentions; 0 submissions, 4 comments2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2027-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 6 mentions; 0 submissions, 6 comments. Incomplete calendar period.2026*

* An incomplete calendar period is marked with an outlined bar. Its count is not directly comparable with a full period.

Counts come from the repository’s dated source evidence. Index cutoff: 2026-11-02 08:16:59 UTC.

View mention counts and date ranges
UTC ranges include their start and exclude their end. Select a period to filter the source evidence.
PeriodStart (UTC)End (exclusive, UTC)MentionsSubmissionsComments
20162016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC17314
20172017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC909
20182018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC18018
20192019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC18117
20202020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC33132
20212021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC22517
20222022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC918
20232023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC936
20242024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC12111
20252025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC404
2026 (partial)2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2027-01-01 00:00:00 UTC606

What Hacker News says

18 sources
vivcomma·Aug 1, 2018
comma.ai | San Francisco | Software Engineer | FULL-TIME | ONSITE OPEN SOURCE SELF DRIVING CAR https://github.com/commaai/openpilot Here's the plan: https://medium.com/@comma_ai/our-road-to-self-driving-victor... Our stack is largely Python, with some C/C++ and JS(React) Hiring for 6 roles (https://comma.ai/jobs): Firmware Engineer, Game Developer, Machine Learning Engineer, Mapping Engineer, Sales Designer, Test/Release Engineer ...or reach out with a GitHub to givemeajob@comma.ai
In Ask HN: Who is hiring? (August 2018)
lordricky·Jul 15, 2018
No safety relevant code is written in Python. All the safety relevant code runs real-time on a STM32 micro (inside the Panda), it's written in C and it's placed at the interface between the car and the Eon. This code ensures the satisfaction of the 2 main safety principles that a Level 2 driver assistance system must have: 1- the driver needs to be able to easily disengage the system at any time; 2- the vehicle must not alter its trajectory too quickly for the driver to safely react. See https://github.com/commaai/openpilot/blob/devel/SAFETY.md Among the processes that runs on the Eon, you can find algorithms for perception, planning and controls. Most of it is actually autogenerated code in C++ (see model predictive controls). Python code is used mainly as a wrapper and for non-computational expensive parts. To use functional safety term
Read the rest
inology, the Eon functionality is considered QM (Quality Management). This means that any failure in delivering the desired output at the right time is perceived as bad quality and has no safety implications. So, how often those algorithms deliver the wrong output because some parts are written in Python? How often because RT isn’t enforced? Negligible. Pretty much all the mistakes of a level 2 driver assistance system are due to the quality of the algorithms, the models, the policies etc… There is a long way to go before changing the coding language will be the lowest hanging fruit to improve the system. Until then, using the simplest and most agile coding language (given performance constraints) is probably the best way to maximize quality.
In George Hotz is on a hacker crusade against the ‘scam’ of self-driving cars
vivcomma·Jul 2, 2018
comma.ai | San Francisco | Software Engineer | FULL-TIME | ONSITE OPEN SOURCE SELF DRIVING CAR https://github.com/commaai/openpilot Here's the plan: https://medium.com/@comma_ai/our-road-to-self-driving-victor... Our stack is largely Python, with some C/C++ and JS(React) Hiring for 6 roles (https://comma.ai/jobs): Firmware Engineer, Game Developer, Machine Learning Engineer, Mapping Engineer, Sales Designer, Test/Release Engineer ...or reach out with a GitHub to givemeajob@comma.ai
In Ask HN: Who is hiring? (July 2018)
stephengillie·Jun 11, 2018
Article links to Github: https://github.com/commaai/openpilot > Currently it performs the functions of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) for Hondas, Acuras and Toyotas. It's about on par with Tesla Autopilot at launch... > Right now openpilot supports the EON Dashcam DevKit. We'd like to support other platforms as well. Video [0] shows the driver holding the wheel pretty often, but not around a highway curve. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRkz7FuJsA8
In First look at Tesla Model S using George Hotz’s semi-autonomous driving tech

Showing the 15 most recent of 18 sources. Enable JavaScript to search and browse every indexed mention.

MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME

A few shortcuts

/
Search the collection
?
Open this guide
Esc
Close dialogs and navigation

Your saved repositories and interests stay in this browser.