For this project, you’ll need a microSD card (go with at least 8 GB), a computer with a slot for it, and, of course, a Raspberry Pi and basic peripherals (a mouse, keyboard, screen, and power source). We’ll be downloading Raspbian and writing the disc image to a microSD card, then booting the Raspberry Pi to that microSD card. Installing Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi is pretty straightforward. How to install Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi Here’s how to install Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi. You can use a Raspberry Pi running Raspbian as a cheap and effective home computer, or you can use it as a springboard and turn your Raspberry Pi into any of countless other functional devices, from wireless access points to retro gaming machines. Raspbian is a competent and versatile operating system that gives your Raspberry Pi all the comforts of a PC: a command line, a browser, and tons of other programs. Raspbian is the Raspberry Pi’s most popular operating system, a spin off of the Linux distribution Debian that works well on the Raspberry Pi’s hardware. That’s because a huge number of great Raspberry Pi projects start with installing Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi.
A lot of our tutorials here on The Pi start the same way – with a link to this one.