Introduction to Bonsai

Bonsai is a visual reactive programming language that's particularly powerful for neuroscience applications, data acquisition, and behavioral control. This page provides an introduction to Bonsai and resources to help you get started.

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai is an open-source visual programming language for processing data streams and controlling real-time experiments, particularly in neuroscience and behavioral research contexts. It employs a reactive programming paradigm that makes it ideal for:

• Video and image processing
• Data acquisition from various sensors
• Designing interactive experiments
• Creating closed-loop behavioral paradigms
• Visual stimulus presentation

Introduction Video

This video provides an excellent introduction to Bonsai and its capabilities:

Getting Started with Bonsai

Installation

To install Bonsai, visit the official installation guide. The key steps include:

1. Download the latest Bonsai installer from the official website
2. Run the installer to set up Bonsai and its dependencies
3. For the predictive processing community project-specific installations, refer to our Bonsai Instructions

Documentation and Learning Resources

• Official Bonsai Documentation - Comprehensive guide to installation, concepts, and functionality
• Language Guide - Essential concepts of the reactive programming model
• Examples Tutorials - Examples of Bonsai workflows for various applications
• The NeuroGears Visual Reactive Programming course provides excellent structured learning materials.

For Python Programmers

If you're coming from a Python background, make sure to check our Bonsai for Python Programmers guide to understand the key conceptual differences and similarities.

Project-Specific Bonsai Resources

• Bonsai Instructions - Setup and deployment for this project
• List of Scripts - Available Bonsai scripts for our experiments