Learn how to use ROS standards, testing, simulation, containers, bridges, and resources to make your ROS code work everywhere.

Writing testable code is equally if not more important than writing efficient & clean code. This can be achieved by adhering to some of the following practices: SOLID design principles, avoid hardcoding - use config files to load rosparams at runtime, code modularity, exception handling, using docstrings, and emulating production environment.

Last updated on Mar 10, 2025

How do you make sure your ROS code works everywhere?

If you are developing or using ROS code, you want it to run smoothly on different platforms and environments. However, ROS is not a single software, but a collection of tools, libraries, and conventions that can vary depending on the version, distribution, and operating system. How do you make sure your ROS code works everywhere? In this article, we will explore some best practices and tips to achieve ROS portability and compatibility.

1 Use ROS standards

One of the benefits of ROS is that it provides a common framework and language for robotics applications. To take advantage of this, you should follow the ROS standards and conventions for naming, organizing, and documenting your code. This will make your code easier to understand, reuse, and share with other ROS users and developers. You can find the ROS standards in the ROS wiki and the ROS Style Guide.

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Sushil Muralikumar

Senior Software Engineer - AI and Analytics | MS, Robotics & AI | ACS Lab Alumni | AWS Certified - Data Analytics & Machine Learning Specialist | Azure Certified Practitioner
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I second this. ROS was designed as a solution that can be used in a variety of supported environments. If the code and and files are organized properly according to the ROS standards, then it is just a matter of building the workspace in the new environment. It is pretty much plug and play at that point, provided all the required dependencies are present in the target system.

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2 Test your code

Another way to ensure your ROS code works everywhere is to test it thoroughly and frequently. Testing your code can help you detect and fix errors, bugs, and compatibility issues before they become serious problems. You can use the built-in ROS tools for testing, such as rostest, roslaunch, and rosunit, or other frameworks like Google Test or pytest. You can also use continuous integration (CI) services like GitHub Actions or Travis CI to automate your testing process and check your code against different ROS versions and platforms.

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Adharsh Venkatachalam

Robotics @ Panasonic
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Writing testable code is equally if not more important than writing efficient & clean code. This can be achieved by adhering to some of the following practices: SOLID design principles, avoid hardcoding - use config files to load rosparams at runtime, code modularity, exception handling, using docstrings, and emulating production environment.

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Abhaydan Kushwaha

Digital Creator || Management || Public Speaking
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# Types of Platforms to Test On- 1. Operating Systems : Test on multiple operating systems, such as: - Ubuntu (various versions) - macOS - Windows 2. Architectures : Test on different hardware architectures, including: - x86 (32-bit and 64-bit) - ARM (32-bit and 64-bit) 3. Hardware Configurations : Test on various hardware configurations, such as: - Different CPU models - Various amounts of RAM - Different graphics cards or GPUs

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3 Use ROS simulation and visualization

ROS simulation and visualization tools can help you test and debug your code without relying on physical hardware or sensors. You can use tools like Gazebo, RViz, or Stage to create realistic and interactive simulations of your robots and environments. You can also use tools like rqt or rosbag to monitor and analyze your ROS data and messages. By using ROS simulation and visualization tools, you can make sure your code works as expected and can handle different scenarios and conditions.

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Sushil Muralikumar

Senior Software Engineer - AI and Analytics | MS, Robotics & AI | ACS Lab Alumni | AWS Certified - Data Analytics & Machine Learning Specialist | Azure Certified Practitioner
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The ability to simulate is singularly the most significant advantage of using ROS. Theoretically, if the solution is perfect, the same code can be deployed onto the robot without requiring changes. However, in practice, it is necessary to tune the code and parameters to account for errors that arise due to the inherent nature of the hardware used and the variables involved in the real world. Based on my experience, getting about 70-80% of the final solution right using just the simulation is possible. Simulations are also super helpful to iterate through ideas quickly and eliminate solutions that might not lead to fruition.

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4 Use ROS containers

ROS containers are a way to package your ROS code and dependencies into isolated and portable environments. You can use tools like Docker or Singularity to create and run ROS containers on different machines and platforms. ROS containers can help you avoid conflicts and inconsistencies between your ROS versions, distributions, and libraries. You can also use ROS containers to share your code with other ROS users and developers without requiring them to install or configure anything.

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Sergei J.

Software Engineer at Surgical Science | Advancing eye surgery simulators to fight blindness
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Using container technology in modern software development is a must. With that, you can create a software that will run on almost every machine. Slight inconsistencies or differences will be negligible. Furthermore, container technology opens a way to deploy and update your robots from a distance, just with a few clicks! This is a total game-changer once you have to maintain more than one robot.

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5 Use ROS bridges

ROS bridges are a way to communicate and exchange data between different ROS versions or instances. You can use tools like ros1_bridge or ros2_bridge to connect your ROS 1 and ROS 2 nodes and topics. You can also use tools like rosbridge or rosserial to connect your ROS nodes with non-ROS devices or applications. By using ROS bridges, you can make your code more interoperable and flexible across different ROS systems and architectures.

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6 Use ROS resources

ROS resources are a way to learn from and collaborate with other ROS users and developers. You can use resources like the ROS wiki, the ROS answers, or the ROS discourse to find documentation, tutorials, examples, and solutions for your ROS problems. You can also use resources like the ROS index, the ROS packages, or the ROS repositories to find and download existing ROS code and packages that you can use or modify for your own projects. By using ROS resources, you can make your code more robust and reliable with the help of the ROS community.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you make sure your ROS code works everywhere?

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1 Use ROS standards

2 Test your code

3 Use ROS simulation and visualization

4 Use ROS containers

5 Use ROS bridges

6 Use ROS resources

7 Here’s what else to consider

ROS

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