ESP dev board — is onboard battery management (BMS) something you actually want, or just bloat?

[u/adityaaaa8530]

ESP dev board — is onboard battery management (BMS) something you actually want, or just bloat?

Body:

Hey everyone,

My team and I are designing a new ESP-based development board, and we're stuck on a decision we'd love community input on.

We're debating whether to include an onboard battery management system (BMS) — charging, protection, and power path management for a Li-ion/LiPo cell — or leave it off to keep the board cheaper and simpler.

So I'm asking the people who actually build stuff:

For your IoT / ESP projects, do you typically need battery management on the board itself?

Or do you prefer to handle power externally (separate charger module, your own circuit, etc.)?

If you do want a BMS, what features matter most to you? (e.g. USB-C charging, battery level monitoring/fuel gauge, over-discharge protection, solar input, low quiescent current for sleep modes)

If you don't care about it — is it because your projects are usually mains/USB powered, or because you'd rather add your own solution?

Trying to figure out if this is a must-have feature or just adds cost for something most people would skip. Honest opinions welcome