Introduce CI section, move tests section

docs/architecture/ci/component_tests.md

@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+# Component/platform test configurations
+
+Each (new) component/platform must have tests. This enables our CI system to perform a test build of the
+component/platform to ensure it compiles without any errors.
+
+Tests should incorporate the new component/platform itself as well as all
+[automations](https://esphome.io/automations/actions) it implements.
+
+!!! note
+    These are **compile tests only** and do not test functionality.
+
+### Overview
+
+The tests aim to test compilation of the code for each processor architecture:
+
+- Xtensa (ESP8266, original ESP32 and S-series)
+- RISC-V (ESP32 C-series)
+- ARM (RP2040)
+
+...and for each supported framework:
+
+- Arduino
+- [ESP-IDF](https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/)
+
+There should be *at least one test* for each framework/architecture combination. We can probably go without saying it,
+but some framework/architecture combinations are simply not supported/possible, so tests for those are impossible and,
+as such, are (naturally) omitted.
+
+### General structure
+
+We try to structure the tests in a way so as to minimize repetition. Let's look at the `dht12` sensor platform as an
+example:
+
+First, you'll find a `common.yaml` file which contains this:
+
+```yaml
+i2c:
+  - id: i2c_dht12
+    scl: ${scl_pin}
+    sda: ${sda_pin}
+
+sensor:
+  - platform: dht12
+    temperature:
+      name: DHT12 Temperature
+    humidity:
+      name: DHT12 Humidity
+    update_interval: 15s
+```
+
+It's a shared configuration file that defines common settings used across all hardware platforms. Having a "common"
+file like this minimizes duplication and ensures test consistency across all platforms.
+
+To use `common.yaml` in a test configuration, YAML substitutions and the insertion operator are used (see
+[substitutions](https://esphome.io/components/substitutions)). This allows the test YAML file to reference and include
+the shared configuration. For the `dht12` platform, one of the test files is named `test.esp32-ard.yaml` and it contains
+this:
+
+```yaml
+substitutions:
+  scl_pin: GPIO16
+  sda_pin: GPIO17
+
+<<: !include common.yaml
+```
+
+By including `common.yaml`, all test configurations maintain the same structure while allowing flexibility for
+platform-specific substitutions such as pin assignments. This approach simplifies managing multiple test cases across
+different hardware platforms.
+
+### Which tests do I need?
+
+**We require a test for each framework/architecture combination** the component/platform supports. *Most*
+components/platforms include the following test files:
+
+- `test.esp32-ard.yaml` - ESP32 (Xtensa)/Arduino
+- `test.esp32-idf.yaml` - ESP32 (Xtensa)/IDF
+- `test.esp32-c3-ard.yaml` - ESP32-C3 (RISC-V)/Arduino
+- `test.esp32-c3-idf.yaml` - ESP32-C3 (RISC-V)/IDF
+- `test.esp8266-ard.yaml` - ESP8266 (Xtensa)/Arduino
+- `test.rp2040-ard.yaml` - RP2040 (ARM)/Arduino
+
+Because our test script checks for **successful compilation only**, it is not necessary to include a test for every
+microcontroller variant _unless different code is compiled based on the variant._ For example, the ESP32, ESP32-S2
+and ESP32-S3 are all based on the same Xtensa architecture and, as such, use the same tooling and configuration. Given
+a block of code, if it compiles for the ESP32, it will compile for the S2 and S3, as well. Therefore, spinning up a new
+test run for each variant within this family is not productive and we avoid doing so to minimize CI runtime.
+
+If your component/platform builds different code based on the variant (for example, ESP32/S2/S3 or C3/C6), then tests
+should be added to/omitted from the list above as appropriate. This is often only necessary when implementing support
+for some specific hardware component built into the microcontroller. The
+[ADC](https://esphome.io/components/sensor/adc) is one example of this.
+
+### Running the tests
+
+You can run the tests locally simply by invoking the test script:
+
+```shell
+script/test_build_components -e compile -c dht12
+```
+
+Our CI will also run this script when you create or update your pull request (PR).

docs/architecture/ci/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Continuous Integration (CI)
+
+ESPHome uses [GitHub Actions (GHA)](https://github.com/esphome/esphome/actions) for all continuous integration (CI).

docs/architecture/overview.md

@@ -172,95 +172,7 @@ latest data from your component and publish them with the provided methods.
 
 Finally, your component must have a `dump_config` method that prints the complete user configuration.
 
-## Test configurations
+## Further reading
 
-Each (new) component/platform must have tests. This enables our CI system to perform a test build of the
-component/platform to ensure it compiles without any errors. The test file(s) should incorporate the new
-component/platform itself as well as all [automations](https://esphome.io/automations/actions) it implements.
-
-### Overview
-
-The tests aim to test compilation of the code for each processor architecture:
-
-- Xtensa (ESP8266, original ESP32 and S-series)
-- RISC-V (ESP32 C-series)
-- ARM (RP2040)
-
-...and for each supported framework:
-
-- Arduino
-- [ESP-IDF](https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/)
-
-There should be *at least one test* for each framework/architecture combination. We can probably go without saying it,
-but some framework/architecture combinations are simply not supported/possible, so tests for those are impossible and,
-as such, are (naturally) omitted.
-
-### General structure
-
-We try to structure the tests in a way so as to minimize repetition. Let's look at the `dht12` sensor platform as an
-example:
-
-First, you'll find a `common.yaml` file which contains this:
-
-```yaml
-i2c:
-  - id: i2c_dht12
-    scl: ${scl_pin}
-    sda: ${sda_pin}
-
-sensor:
-  - platform: dht12
-    temperature:
-      name: DHT12 Temperature
-    humidity:
-      name: DHT12 Humidity
-    update_interval: 15s
-```
-
-It's a shared configuration file that defines common settings used across all hardware platforms. Having a "common"
-file like this minimizes duplication and ensures test consistency across all platforms.
-
-To use `common.yaml` in a test configuration, YAML substitutions and the insertion operator are used (see
-[substitutions](https://esphome.io/components/substitutions)). This allows the test YAML file to reference and include
-the shared configuration. For the `dht12` platform, one of the test files is named `test.esp32-ard.yaml` and it contains
-this:
-
-```yaml
-substitutions:
-  scl_pin: GPIO16
-  sda_pin: GPIO17
-
-<<: !include common.yaml
-```
-
-By including `common.yaml`, all test configurations maintain the same structure while allowing flexibility for
-platform-specific substitutions such as pin assignments. This approach simplifies managing multiple test cases across
-different hardware platforms.
-
-### Which tests do I need?
-
-We require a test for each framework/architecture combination the component/platform supports. *Most*
-components/platforms include the following test files:
-
-- `test.esp32-ard.yaml` - ESP32 (Xtensa)/Arduino
-- `test.esp32-idf.yaml` - ESP32 (Xtensa)/IDF
-- `test.esp32-c3-ard.yaml` - ESP32-C3 (RISC-V)/Arduino
-- `test.esp32-c3-idf.yaml` - ESP32-C3 (RISC-V)/IDF
-- `test.esp32-s3-ard.yaml` - ESP32-S3 (Xtensa)/Arduino
-- `test.esp32-s3-idf.yaml` - ESP32-S3 (Xtensa)/IDF
-- `test.esp8266-ard.yaml` - ESP8266 (Xtensa)/Arduino
-- `test.rp2040-ard.yaml` - RP2040 (ARM)/Arduino
-
-In cases where the component/platform implements support for some microcontroller-specific hardware component, tests
-should be added to/omitted from the list above as appropriate. The [ADC](https://esphome.io/components/sensor/adc) is
-one example of this.
-
-### Running the tests
-
-You can run the tests locally simply by invoking the test script:
-
-```shell
-script/test_build_components -e compile -c dht12
-```
-
-Our CI will also run this script when you create or update your pull request (PR).
+If you are preparing your code for [integration into ESPHome](/contributing/submitting-your-work), you'll need to
+create tests; please see [test configurations](/architecture/ci/component_tests) for more detail.

docs/contributing/development-environment.md

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ This guide will walk you through the steps to set up an environment you can use
 
 ## Requirements
 
-- Python 3.12 or newer
+- Python 3.10 or newer
 - `pip` (Python package manager)
 - Familiarity with `git` and GitHub
 

docs/index.md

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ All project code and documentation is hosted on [GitHub](https://github.com):
 
 - [Component architecture](architecture/components)
 - [API](architecture/api)
+- [CI](architecture/ci)
 
 ## Contributing
 

mkdocs.yml

@@ -104,4 +104,7 @@ nav:
       - Overview: architecture/api/index.md
       - Protocol Details: architecture/api/protocol_details.md
     - Logging Best Practices: architecture/logging.md
+    - CI:
+      - Overview: architecture/ci/index.md
+      - Tests: architecture/ci/component_tests.md
   - Blog: blog/index.md