CANpie FD (CAN Programming Interface Environment) is an open‑source project that aims to create and establish an open, standard software API for accessing the CAN bus.

The current version of the CANpie FD API Reference covers both Classic CAN frames and ISO CAN FD frames. The API targets embedded control applications and PC interface boards: embedded microcontrollers are programmed in C; a C++ API provides OS‑independent access to interface boards. CANpie FD is not intended to incorporate higher‑layer functionality (e.g. CANopen, J1939).

CANpie FD provides a method to query CAN‑hardware capabilities, which is especially important for application designers who aim to write code once.

CANpie FD model

Highlights

Standard HAL for CAN: A consistent hardware abstraction layer that decouples applications from controller‑ and OS‑specific details.
Classic CAN and ISO CAN FD: Supports both frame types as defined in ISO 11898‑1:2015 (including the relevant frame formats).
Mailboxes/message buffers: Explicit concept of hardware message buffers (mailboxes) for portable driver interaction.
Scalable channels: Supports up to 255 CAN channels addressed via the API.
Time‑stamping: Built‑in support to time‑stamp CAN frames.
Open source: Released under the Apache 2.0 licence.

Compatibility

The C language API of CANpie FD (version 3) is compatible with CANpie (version 2), with the exception that eight functions are deprecated. Please refer to Deprecated CANpie Functions for details.

CANpie FD File Structure

Refer to File structure for an overview.

CANpie FD Configuration Options

The CANpie FD driver offers a flexible concept for adapting to CAN controllers. Please refer to CANpie FD configuration options for details.

CANpie FD Server

The CANpie FD Server provides a way to connect CAN interfaces from various manufacturers to a PC. The application accesses the CAN interfaces using the CANpie C or C++ API.