# holepunchto/hypercore

Hypercore is a secure, distributed append-only log.

Repository: https://github.com/holepunchto/hypercore
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/hypercore
Homepage: https://docs.holepunch.to
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-08-25T19:42:50+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 99/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 98, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3909, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 13, "gap_med": 4, "n_releases_24m": 14}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2903, forks 210 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:28.975502+00:00)

## What it is
Hypercore is a JavaScript library implementing a secure, distributed append-only log that uses signed merkle trees to verify data integrity in real time. It is the core data distribution primitive of the Holepunch/Pear peer-to-peer stack, designed for sharing large datasets and real-time data streams without servers.

## Use cases
- replicate a large dataset peer-to-peer without running a server
- build a tamper-evident distributed append-only log with cryptographic verification
- sync real-time data streams between peers with fast updates
- download only the parts of a dataset I need via sparse replication
- share a verified immutable data feed across a swarm
- store an append-only ledger backed by keypair-signed integrity checks
- build a p2p storage backend for a zero-infrastructure application

## When to choose
- You need serverless peer-to-peer replication of datasets or event streams with real-time integrity verification
- You want peers to fetch only relevant slices of large datasets instead of full copies
- You are building on the Holepunch ecosystem (Pear, Bare, Hyperswarm, Corestore, Hyperdrive) and need its core storage primitive
- You want a focused, modular building block for distributing a stream of data rather than a full database

## When to avoid
- You need a general-purpose queryable database with indexes and rich queries - use SQLite, Postgres, or similar instead
- You need centralized server-side storage with conventional backup and replication semantics
- You must interoperate with Hypercore 9 or earlier peers, since Hypercore 10 changed the storage format and wire protocol
- You want a turnkey application or CLI rather than a library you integrate into your own code

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: p2p, database, streaming, cryptography
- domain: microservices, databases, networking, developer-tools
- platform: cross-platform
- tags: append-only-log, merkle-tree, sparse-replication, data-replication, peer-to-peer, distributed-storage, hypercore, holepunch, dat-ecosystem, tamper-evident-log, real-time, nodejs

## Member repositories
- holepunchto/hypercore (main) score 99

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:28.975502+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 2026-08-30T07:35:07.194076+00:00, confidence not recorded.
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  - homepage: https://docs.holepunch.to (fetched 2026-08-29T09:50:18.429120+00:00, sha 59e1c729fa30)
  - site_page: https://docs.pears.com/explanation (fetched 2026-08-29T09:50:18.440753+00:00, sha 4cbafca4a9a2)
  - site_page: https://docs.pears.com/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-29T09:50:18.438829+00:00, sha 68b11b75ef11)
  - site_page: https://install.pears.com (fetched 2026-08-29T09:50:18.442495+00:00, sha 7baa75f28dd3)
  - site_page: https://docs.pears.com/reference/pear/cli (fetched 2026-08-29T09:50:18.444848+00:00, sha 3a3a510f2414)
  - site_page: https://docs.pears.com/getting-started/from-a-template/start-from-hello-pear-electron (fetched 2026-08-29T09:50:18.447830+00:00, sha f8b26fc69f57)
  - site_page: https://docs.pears.com/getting-started/from-a-template/start-from-hello-pear-bare (fetched 2026-08-29T09:50:18.449899+00:00, sha 44387ffa9dd6)
  - site_page: https://docs.pears.com/how-to/operate-an-app (fetched 2026-08-29T09:50:18.452268+00:00, sha 7b8fbc4db941)
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- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.