Setup is fairly simple with downloads for Linux, OS X, and Windows. This isn’t an ESP8266 shield, either: you can write code for the ESP module, connect the serial pins, and hit the program button.

Make sure to install the ESP8266 board package in the Arduino IDE. Don’t forget to replace the placeholder SSID and password in the code with your actual Wi-Fi credentials.

NodeMCU ESP8266 V3 Lua CH340 WiFi Dev Board A powerful, low-cost microcontroller board built for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The NodeMCU ESP8266 V3 comes with built-in Wi-Fi, USB-to-serial ...

Sweet! That turns this into an Arduino compatible board which solves something that has long bothered me. I’ve seen a ton of really simple Arduino projects that use the ESP8266 externally.