# ethereum/go-ethereum

Go implementation of the Ethereum protocol

Repository: https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/go-ethereum
Homepage: https://geth.ethereum.org
Language: Go
License: LGPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: go, blockchain, ethereum, p2p, geth
Last push: 2026-08-26T12:45:23+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 98/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 95, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4633, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 37, "gap_med": 11.5, "n_releases_24m": 33}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 51314, forks 22125 (observed 2026-08-28T04:12:11.834188+00:00)

## What it is
go-ethereum (Geth) is the official Go implementation of the Ethereum protocol, serving as an execution client that runs full, archive, or light Ethereum nodes. It exposes JSON-RPC APIs over HTTP, WebSocket, and IPC, and can also be embedded as a Go library or used via its CLI tools.

## Use cases
- run an ethereum full node
- run a geth archive node
- query ethereum blockchain via json-rpc
- interact with smart contracts from go
- set up a private ethereum network
- trace evm transactions
- embed ethereum protocol in a go application

## When to choose
- you need a battle-tested, actively maintained Ethereum execution client
- you want to run or operate an Ethereum node (full, archive, or light)
- you need JSON-RPC access to Ethereum from your applications
- you want to build private Ethereum networks or embed the protocol in Go code

## When to avoid
- you need a consensus/validator client - Geth must be paired with a separate consensus client
- you want a non-Go Ethereum client (consider alternatives like Nethermind, Besu, or Erigon)
- you only need to read blockchain data without running your own node - a hosted RPC provider may suffice

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: stable
- function: rpc, cli, p2p, cryptography, sdk, developer-tools
- domain: blockchain, microservices, developer-tools, networking
- platform: go, windows, cross-platform, cli
- tags: ethereum, geth, evm, execution-client, blockchain-node, smart-contracts, json-rpc, web3, cryptocurrency, linux, macos, docker

## Member repositories
- ethereum/go-ethereum (main) score 98

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:12:11.834188+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 2026-08-29T16:19:46.717581+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum (fetched 2026-08-28T04:12:11.834188+00:00, sha 147a2cd06f5d)
  - homepage: https://geth.ethereum.org (fetched 2026-08-28T18:09:43.526689+00:00, sha 2fec9d66e2b0)
  - site_page: https://geth.ethereum.org/docs (fetched 2026-08-28T18:09:43.535454+00:00, sha 5bc18e25e25f)
  - site_page: https://geth.ethereum.org/docs/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-28T18:09:43.537322+00:00, sha 403eabf9a6a7)
  - site_page: https://geth.ethereum.org/docs/developers/contributing (fetched 2026-08-28T18:09:43.541607+00:00, sha 78bd3fb777f2)
  - site_page: https://geth.ethereum.org/docs/faq (fetched 2026-08-28T18:09:43.543191+00:00, sha 513ea0d8fc07)
  - site_page: https://ethereum.org/en/run-a-node/ (fetched 2026-08-28T18:09:43.539915+00:00, sha 09d48f1e0422)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.