# commaai/panda

code powering the comma.ai panda

Repository: https://github.com/commaai/panda
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/commaai-panda
Language: C
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-08-26T14:03:02+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 77/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3436, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1697, forks 972 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:24.022411+00:00)

## What it is
Firmware and Python userspace library for the comma.ai panda, a USB CAN and CAN FD interface device built on the STM32H725 microcontroller. It enforces vehicle-specific safety logic compiled in from opendbc and is designed for use with openpilot driver assistance systems.

## Use cases
- read and send CAN messages from a car over USB
- interface with vehicle CAN bus from Python
- flash firmware onto a panda CAN interface device
- develop and test vehicle safety models for openpilot
- sniff CAN traffic on multiple buses
- build hardware-in-the-loop tests for automotive safety logic

## When to choose
- you own a comma.ai panda device and need to interact with it
- you are developing openpilot or vehicle safety logic
- you need a safety-critical, MISRA-checked CAN interface firmware
- you want a Python API for CAN communication with a car

## When to avoid
- you need a general-purpose CAN adapter without comma.ai hardware
- you want a pure software CAN simulator with no hardware component
- you need OBD-II diagnostics tooling rather than raw CAN access

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: embedded, sdk, testing
- domain: embedded-systems, hardware, robotics
- platform: embedded, python, windows
- tags: can-bus, can-fd, stm32, firmware, automotive, openpilot, car-hacking, safety-critical, misra-c, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- commaai/panda (main) score 77

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:24.022411+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:37:50.821467+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/commaai/panda (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:24.022411+00:00, sha f22fd36ce821)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.