blefyi 0.1.1

Bluetooth Low Energy encyclopedia API client — look up BLE chips, GATT profiles, Bluetooth versions, beacon protocols, and IoT specifications from BLEFYI.

blefyi

Bluetooth Low Energy encyclopedia API client for Python. Look up BLE chips from Nordic, Espressif, TI, Dialog, Silicon Labs, Qualcomm, and STMicroelectronics, GATT profiles and services, Bluetooth versions 4.0-5.4, beacon protocols (iBeacon, Eddystone, AltBeacon), and IoT specifications from BLEFYI -- the comprehensive BLE reference with 261 records covering every major BLE system-on-chip in commercial and industrial use.

Extracted from BLEFYI, a Bluetooth Low Energy platform with 261 records spanning chip specifications, GATT profile definitions, version history, beacon protocol details, and IoT deployment guides used by embedded firmware engineers, IoT architects, and wearable device developers worldwide.

Explore BLE at blefyi.com -- Chip Explorer | Profile Reference | Version History | Beacon Protocols

Table of Contents

• Install
• Quick Start
• What You'll Find on BLEFYI
  • BLE Chips and System-on-Chip (SoC)
  • GATT Profiles and Services
  • Bluetooth Versions (4.0-5.4)
  • Beacon Protocols
  • BLE vs Bluetooth Classic
  • Advertising Modes
  • BLE Mesh Networking
• API Endpoints
• Command-Line Interface
• MCP Server (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf)
• REST API Client
• Learn More About BLE
• Also Available
• Tag FYI Family
• FYIPedia Developer Tools
• License

Install

pip install blefyi[api]     # API client (httpx)
pip install blefyi[cli]     # + CLI (typer, rich)
pip install blefyi[mcp]     # + MCP server
pip install blefyi[all]     # Everything

Quick Start

from blefyi.api import BLEFYI

with BLEFYI() as api:
    # Search chips, profiles, versions, beacons, glossary
    results = api.search("nordic")
    print(results)

    # Look up a specific BLE chip
    nrf = api.chip("nrf52840")
    print(nrf["name"], nrf["manufacturer"])  # nRF52840 Nordic Semiconductor

    # Compare two BLE chips side-by-side
    diff = api.compare("nrf52840", "esp32-c3")
    print(diff)

    # Discover a random BLE chip
    surprise = api.random()
    print(surprise["name"])

What You'll Find on BLEFYI

BLEFYI is a comprehensive Bluetooth Low Energy encyclopedia covering BLE chips, GATT profiles, Bluetooth versions, beacon protocols, manufacturers, and IoT use cases. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), introduced as part of the Bluetooth 4.0 Core Specification in 2010, is a wireless personal area network technology designed for short-range, low-power communication -- the foundation of wearable fitness trackers, medical devices, asset tracking, smart home automation, and industrial IoT worldwide.

BLE Chips and System-on-Chip (SoC)

BLE chips are the silicon at the heart of every Bluetooth Low Energy device. Each SoC integrates a radio transceiver, ARM Cortex-M processor, RAM, flash memory, and peripheral interfaces into a single package. Key selection criteria include Bluetooth version support, TX power range (dBm), receiver sensitivity, RAM/flash capacity, GPIO count, and multi-protocol support (BLE, Zigbee, Thread, Matter).

Manufacturer	Key Chips	Bluetooth	Core	Notable Feature
Nordic Semiconductor	nRF52840, nRF52832, nRF5340	5.0-5.3	Cortex-M4F / M33+M16	Best-in-class SDK (nRF Connect), Zephyr RTOS
Espressif	ESP32-C3, ESP32-C6, ESP32-H2	5.0-5.3	RISC-V	Wi-Fi + BLE combo, open-source IDF
Texas Instruments	CC2640R2F, CC2652R	5.0-5.1	Cortex-M4F	Ultra-low power, medical-grade (IEC 60601)
Dialog Semiconductor	DA14695, DA14531	5.1-5.2	Cortex-M33 / M0+	Smallest BLE SoC (DA14531: 2.0x1.7mm)
Silicon Labs	EFR32BG22, EFR32BG24	5.2-5.3	Cortex-M33	Direction Finding (AoA/AoD), Bluetooth Mesh
Qualcomm	QCC5144, QCC3056	5.2-5.3	Cortex-M4F	LE Audio, LC3 codec, active noise cancellation
STMicroelectronics	STM32WB55, BlueNRG-2	5.0-5.3	Cortex-M4+M0	STM32 ecosystem integration, dual-core

Nordic nRF52840 is the most widely used BLE 5.0 SoC, powering devices from Fitbit trackers to industrial sensors. It features a 64 MHz Cortex-M4F with FPU, 1 MB flash, 256 KB RAM, USB 2.0, NFC-A tag emulation, and support for BLE, Zigbee, Thread, and ANT protocols on a single chip.

Learn more: Chip Explorer | Glossary

GATT Profiles and Services

The Generic Attribute Profile (GATT) defines how BLE devices expose structured data through a hierarchy of services, characteristics, and descriptors. The Bluetooth SIG maintains adopted profiles that ensure interoperability across manufacturers.

Profile Category	Examples	UUID Range
Health & Fitness	Heart Rate (0x180D), Blood Pressure (0x1810), Glucose (0x1808)	0x180D-0x181F
HID & Input	Human Interface Device (0x1812), Scan Parameters (0x1813)	0x1812-0x1813
Proximity & Location	Immediate Alert (0x1802), Link Loss (0x1803), Indoor Positioning (0x1821)	0x1802-0x1821
Device Information	Device Information (0x180A), Battery Service (0x180F)	0x180A-0x180F
Automation	Automation IO (0x1815), Environmental Sensing (0x181A)	0x1815-0x181A
Audio (LE Audio)	Common Audio, Media Control, Telephony and Media Audio	Bluetooth 5.2+

GATT hierarchy: A GATT server exposes Services (collections of related data), each containing Characteristics (individual data values with read/write/notify properties), which may have Descriptors (metadata like format, range, or presentation). A heart rate monitor's Heart Rate Service (0x180D) contains a Heart Rate Measurement characteristic (0x2A37) that sends notifications at each heartbeat.

Learn more: Profile Reference | Use Cases

Bluetooth Versions (4.0-5.4)

Each Bluetooth version introduces significant protocol enhancements. Understanding version differences is critical for chip selection and firmware development:

Version	Year	Key Features	Impact
4.0	2010	BLE introduction, GATT/ATT, 1 Mbps PHY	Created the IoT ecosystem
4.1	2013	Dual-mode topology, L2CAP CoC, LTE coexistence	Hub/spoke + mesh topologies
4.2	2014	LE Data Length Extension (251B), LE Secure Connections, IPv6	2.5x throughput, stronger encryption
5.0	2016	2 Mbps LE 2M PHY, LE Coded PHY (long range), 8x advertising	Double speed or 4x range
5.1	2019	Direction Finding (AoA/AoD), GATT Caching	Sub-meter indoor positioning
5.2	2020	LE Audio (LC3 codec), Isochronous Channels, EATT	Hearing aids, Auracast broadcast
5.3	2021	Connection Subrating, Channel Classification Enhancement	Dynamic power optimization
5.4	2023	PAwR (Periodic Advertising with Responses), Encrypted Advertising	Electronic shelf labels

LE Coded PHY (Bluetooth 5.0): Trades data rate (125 kbps or 500 kbps) for dramatically increased range through Forward Error Correction (FEC). In open-air tests, LE Coded PHY achieves reliable communication at 1 km+ versus ~100 m for LE 1M PHY -- enabling agricultural sensors, campus-wide asset tracking, and rural IoT deployments.

Learn more: Version History | Glossary

Beacon Protocols

Beacons are BLE devices that broadcast advertising packets at regular intervals for proximity detection, indoor positioning, and context-aware applications:

Protocol	Creator	Advertising Format	Identifier	Range
iBeacon	Apple	Manufacturer-specific (0x004C)	UUID + Major + Minor	~70m
Eddystone	Google	4 frame types (UID, URL, TLM, EID)	10B namespace + 6B instance	~70m
AltBeacon	Radius Networks	Open specification	20-byte beacon ID	~70m

iBeacon dominates retail proximity marketing with a simple UUID/Major/Minor addressing scheme. A single UUID identifies the organization, Major identifies the store location, and Minor identifies the specific shelf or zone. iOS apps receive beacon region entry/exit events even when backgrounded.

BLE vs Bluetooth Classic

Feature	Bluetooth Low Energy	Bluetooth Classic
Power Consumption	~0.01-0.5W (coin cell for years)	~1W (regular charging)
Data Rate	1-2 Mbps (LE 1M/2M PHY)	1-3 Mbps (EDR)
Range	100m+ (Coded PHY: 1km+)	~100m
Latency	~3ms connection	~100ms connection
Topology	Point-to-point, broadcast, mesh	Point-to-point, piconet (7 active)
Audio	LE Audio (LC3, Auracast broadcast)	A2DP (SBC, AAC, aptX)
Use Cases	Sensors, wearables, beacons, IoT	Audio streaming, file transfer

Advertising Modes

BLE devices communicate their presence through advertising packets on three dedicated channels (37, 38, 39 at 2402, 2426, 2480 MHz):

Mode	Connectable	Scannable	Use Case
ADV_IND	Yes	Yes	Default -- discoverable and connectable
ADV_DIRECT_IND	Yes (directed)	No	Fast reconnection to known central
ADV_NONCONN_IND	No	No	Beacons, broadcast-only
ADV_SCAN_IND	No	Yes	Additional data via scan response
Extended (BT 5.0+)	Configurable	Configurable	255 bytes/PDU, secondary channels

BLE Mesh Networking

Bluetooth Mesh (adopted 2017) enables many-to-many device communication using a managed flood relay architecture. Nodes publish/subscribe to addresses, relay nodes forward messages across the network, and proxy nodes bridge BLE Mesh to standard GATT clients. Key applications include commercial lighting control (up to 32,000 nodes), building automation, and industrial sensor networks.

Mesh Feature	Specification
Max Nodes	32,767 per network
Topology	Managed flood relay
Security	Network key + Application key + Device key (AES-CCM)
Provisioning	PB-ADV (advertising) or PB-GATT (connection)
Models	Generic OnOff, Level, Lighting, Sensor

Learn more: Beacon Protocols | Use Cases

API Endpoints

Free, no authentication required. JSON responses with CORS enabled.

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/chip/{slug}/	BLE chip detail with specs
GET	/api/profile/{slug}/	GATT profile with characteristics
GET	/api/version/{slug}/	Bluetooth version detail
GET	/api/beacon/{slug}/	Beacon protocol detail
GET	/api/usecase/{slug}/	Use case with related chips
GET	/api/manufacturer/{slug}/	Manufacturer with chip lineup
GET	/api/term/{slug}/	Glossary term definition
GET	/api/search/?q={query}	Search across all content types
GET	/api/compare/?a={slug}&b={slug}	Compare two chips
GET	/api/random/	Random chip discovery
GET	/api/openapi.json	OpenAPI 3.1.0 specification

Example

# Search for Nordic BLE chips
curl -s "https://blefyi.com/api/search/?q=nordic" | python -m json.tool

Full API documentation at blefyi.com/api/. OpenAPI 3.1.0 spec: blefyi.com/api/openapi.json.

Command-Line Interface

blefyi search "nrf52"                 # Search all content
blefyi chip nrf52840                  # Chip detail
blefyi compare nrf52840 esp32-c3      # Side-by-side comparison
blefyi random                         # Discover a random chip

MCP Server (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf)

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "blefyi": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": ["--from", "blefyi[mcp]", "python", "-m", "blefyi.mcp_server"]
        }
    }
}

Tools: ble_search, ble_lookup, ble_compare

REST API Client

from blefyi.api import BLEFYI

with BLEFYI() as api:
    api.search("nordic")                       # Full-text search
    api.chip("nrf52840")                       # Chip detail
    api.profile("heart-rate")                  # GATT profile
    api.version("5-0")                         # Bluetooth version
    api.beacon("ibeacon")                      # Beacon protocol
    api.usecase("asset-tracking")              # Use case
    api.manufacturer("nordic-semiconductor")   # Manufacturer
    api.glossary_term("gatt")                  # Glossary term
    api.compare("nrf52840", "esp32-c3")        # Compare two chips
    api.random()                               # Random discovery
    api.openapi()                              # OpenAPI 3.1.0 spec

Learn More About BLE

• Browse: Chip Explorer · Profile Reference · Beacon Protocols
• Reference: Version History · Use Cases · Glossary
• API: REST API Docs · OpenAPI Spec

Also Available

Platform	Install	Link
npm	npm install blefyi	npm
Go	go get github.com/fyipedia/blefyi-go	pkg.go.dev
Rust	cargo add blefyi	crates.io
Ruby	gem install blefyi	rubygems.org
MCP	uvx --from "blefyi[mcp]" python -m blefyi.mcp_server	Config

Tag FYI Family

Part of the FYIPedia open-source developer tools ecosystem -- automatic identification and data capture technologies.

Site	Domain	Focus
BarcodeFYI	barcodefyi.com	518 records -- barcode symbologies, standards, GS1 prefixes
QRCodeFYI	qrcodefyi.com	425 records -- QR code types, versions, encoding modes
NFCFYI	nfcfyi.com	288 records -- NFC chips, NDEF records, standards
BLEFYI	blefyi.com	261 records -- BLE chips, GATT profiles, beacons
RFIDFYI	rfidfyi.com	318 records -- RFID tags, frequency bands, EPC schemes
SmartCardFYI	smartcardfyi.com	280 records -- smart cards, EMV, Java Card, platforms

FYIPedia Developer Tools

Package	PyPI	npm	Description
barcodefyi	PyPI	npm	Barcode symbologies, standards -- barcodefyi.com
qrcodefyi	PyPI	npm	QR code types, versions, encoding -- qrcodefyi.com
nfcfyi	PyPI	npm	NFC chips, NDEF, standards -- nfcfyi.com
blefyi	PyPI	npm	BLE profiles, beacons, chips -- blefyi.com
rfidfyi	PyPI	npm	RFID tags, readers, frequencies -- rfidfyi.com
smartcardfyi	PyPI	npm	Smart cards, EMV, platforms -- smartcardfyi.com

License

MIT