# Starting a new project

A recommendation when starting a RTIC project from scratch is to 
follow RTIC's [`defmt-app-template`].

If you are targeting ARMv6-M or ARMv8-M-base architecture, check out the section [Target Architecture](./internals/targets.md) for more information on hardware limitations to be aware of.

[`defmt-app-template`]: https://github.com/rtic-rs/defmt-app-template

This will give you an RTIC application with support for RTT logging with [`defmt`] and stack overflow
protection using [`flip-link`]. There is also a multitude of examples provided by the community:

For inspiration, you may look at the [RTIC examples].

## RTIC on RISC-V devices

Even though RTIC was initially developed for ARM Cortex-M, it is possible to use RTIC on RISC-V devices.
However, the RISC-V ecosystem is more heterogeneous.
To tackle this issue, currently, RTIC implements three different backends:

- **`riscv-esp32c3-backend`**: This backend provides support for the ESP32-C3 SoC.
  In these devices, RTIC is very similar to its Cortex-M counterpart.

- **`riscv-esp32c6-backend`**: This backend provides support for the ESP32-C6 SoC.
  In these devices, RTIC is very similar to its Cortex-M counterpart.

- **`riscv-mecall-backend`**: This backend provides support for **any** RISC-V device.
  In this backend, pending tasks trigger Machine Environment Call exceptions.
  The handler for this exception source dispatches pending tasks according to their priority.
  The behavior of this backend is equivalent to `riscv-clint-backend`.
  The main difference of this backend is that all the tasks **must be** [software tasks](./by-example/software_tasks.md).
  Additionally, it is not required to provide a list of dispatchers in the `#[app]` attribute, as RTIC will generate them at compile time.

- **`riscv-clint-backend`**: This backend supports devices with a CLINT peripheral.
  It is equivallent to `riscv-mecall-backend`, but instead of triggering exceptions, it triggers software interrupts via the `MSIP` register of the CLINT.

[`defmt`]: https://github.com/knurling-rs/defmt/
[`flip-link`]: https://github.com/knurling-rs/flip-link/
[RTIC examples]: https://github.com/rtic-rs/rtic/tree/master/examples