# ipxe/ipxe

iPXE network bootloader

Repository: https://github.com/ipxe/ipxe
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/ipxe
Homepage: https://ipxe.org
Language: C
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: ipxe, pxe, boot, firmware, network, netboot, secureboot, uefi, uefi-boot, aarch32, aarch64, loongarch64, risc-v, s390x, x86, x86-64
Last push: 2026-08-25T23:06:50+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 79/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 41, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5638, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 180, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2040, forks 797 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:08.448743+00:00)

## What it is
iPXE is the leading open source network boot firmware, providing a full PXE implementation enhanced with features like booting from HTTP/HTTPS, iSCSI, FCoE, and AoE SAN targets, plus scripting, menus, and forms. It can replace a network card's PXE ROM or be chainloaded from an existing PXE environment, and supports multiple architectures including x86, ARM, RISC-V, and s390x.

## Use cases
- boot machines over the network via PXE
- boot an OS installer from an HTTP server instead of USB media
- boot diskless workstations from an iSCSI SAN
- chainload iPXE from an existing PXE ROM to get HTTP boot support
- automate provisioning with iPXE scripts and boot menus
- boot Windows PE or Linux installers via HTTP for mass deployment
- set up UEFI Secure Boot compatible network booting
- boot machines in cloud environments like EC2 or Google Cloud

## When to choose
- you need to provision or install operating systems on many machines over the network
- your hardware's built-in PXE ROM lacks features like HTTP(S) boot or iSCSI
- you want scripted, menu-driven network boot workflows
- you need diskless booting from SAN targets (iSCSI, FCoE, AoE)
- you need network boot firmware across diverse CPU architectures

## When to avoid
- you only need to boot from local disk with no network involvement
- you need a full OS or hypervisor rather than a boot firmware
- your network cards cannot chainload and you cannot reflash their ROMs
- you need a graphical end-user application rather than firmware

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: networking, security, cli, embedded
- domain: developer-tools, infrastructure-as-code, self-hosted, operating-systems, networking
- platform: cross-platform, embedded
- tags: pxe, network-boot, firmware, uefi, iscsi, san-boot, http-boot, secure-boot, chainloading, diskless, boot, x86, arm

## Member repositories
- ipxe/ipxe (main) score 79

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:08.448743+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 2026-08-30T02:58:22.035225+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/ipxe/ipxe (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:08.448743+00:00, sha 4c989193a7e5)
  - homepage: https://ipxe.org (fetched 2026-08-29T10:38:27.489059+00:00, sha e6c3f929625c)
  - site_page: https://ipxe.org/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T10:38:27.498016+00:00, sha d9715fb5f78d)
  - site_page: https://ipxe.org/faq (fetched 2026-08-29T10:38:27.499878+00:00, sha 9f7b17190655)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.