Another Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for programming in C++ and more easier for beginners is the Arduino IDE. Arduino IDE is an editor that is able to compile the code for us using Xtensa GCC toolchain, which is available at github as ESP8266/Arduino. It also uses the ESPTool to automatically upload the hex to the SOC (system on chip). This repository provides several examples that you can put on the chip, and describes the install instructions for running it. They are as simple as adding the board manager url in the preference settings menu and install it using Tools→Board→Board Manager.

• Arduino SDK installation
• Links