You can connect your device to Alexa in the cloud using a smart home skill, locally using Echo Plus or another hub, on your hardware using the Alexa Connect Kit, or by pairing to an Echo device via Bluetooth. No matter which option you choose, you can take advantage of our documentation, tools, and developer forums to help you on the way.
In the Cloud
You can connect your device cloud to Alexa using the Smart Home and Custom Skill APIs. Alexa alerts your skill when a customer wants to control your device, and your skill and cloud service then send instructions to your device over the internet.
On Your Device
You can integrate a hardware module designed by Amazon on your device using the Alexa Connect Kit, or ACK. Alexa communicates with the ACK module over the Internet, and the module communicates with your device using a serial interface.
Echo-Paired
You can pair your devices to an Echo device using Bluetooth and the Alexa Gadgets Toolkit to build accessories that respond to what the Echo is doing. The Echo sends event information to your device, including timers, alarms, and text-to-speech (TTS) wordmarks.
Service Simulator
Test your skill's service using the Service Simulator. Simply input text, then view the service input and output on the screen.
Echosim
Test your user experience using Echosim. This online community tool simulates the experience of an Amazon Echo.
Skill Beta-Testing Tool
Invite up to 2,000 beta users to test your Alexa skill and provide feedback. You choose the users and supply them with your smart devices.
