ESP32 C3 bare chip bootloader

[boreland]

Do bare chips (ESP32-C3_QFN32) need to be programmed with a boot loader? If yes, how do I install the boot loader?

[ESP_Sprite]

They do not. As with all Espressif devices, the 1st bootloader is in ROM, meaning the contents are there from the factory and cannot be overwritten. This means that (unless you mess with efuses to set up secure boot stuff) you'll always be able to reflash your ESP32C3.