# meshcore-dev/MeshCore

A new lightweight, hybrid routing mesh protocol for packet radios

Repository: https://github.com/meshcore-dev/MeshCore
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/meshcore
Homepage: https://meshcore.io
Language: C
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-08-25T09:04:42+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 83/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:39:23.370411+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 86, longevity 42
- inputs: {"age_days": 591, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 19, "gap_med": 0.0, "n_releases_24m": 91}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3544, forks 1253 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:09.131216+00:00)

## What it is
MeshCore is a lightweight C++ library and firmware implementing a hybrid multi-hop mesh routing protocol for LoRa packet radios, enabling encrypted off-grid messaging without internet infrastructure. It ships with companion apps for mobile, desktop, and web, plus a web flasher for supported devices like Heltec and RAK.

## Use cases
- set up off-grid encrypted messaging over lora radios
- build a decentralized mesh network without internet
- communicate during emergencies when cell and wifi are down
- relay sensor data across long-range low-power radio nodes
- create hiking and outdoor group communication network
- flash lora firmware on heltec or rak devices
- run solar-powered repeaters to extend mesh range

## When to choose
- you need lightweight multi-hop routing on embedded hardware with low power consumption
- you want an alternative to Meshtastic with simpler routing and end-to-end encryption
- you're building custom embedded solutions on LoRa hardware and need a portable C++ library
- you need resilient off-grid communication for emergency, tactical, or remote use

## When to avoid
- you need advanced networking features like full TCP/IP or internet tunneling that Reticulum provides
- you want a plug-and-play consumer product with no hardware setup
- your devices must communicate over WiFi or cellular rather than LoRa radios

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: networking, cryptography, routing, embedded, chat-interface
- domain: networking, iot, embedded-systems, privacy, censorship-circumvention, cross-platform
- platform: embedded, iot, cross-platform, windows, cpp, c
- tags: lora, mesh-networking, packet-radio, off-grid, meshtastic-alternative, low-power, firmware, emergency-communication, decentralized, android, ios, macos, linux, web

## Member repositories
- meshcore-dev/MeshCore (main) score 83

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:09.131216+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 2026-08-29T18:34:26.033573+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/meshcore-dev/MeshCore (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:09.131216+00:00, sha 3bd6a1de05ec)
  - homepage: https://meshcore.io (fetched 2026-08-29T09:28:30.907382+00:00, sha 5acc8a7acfc3)
  - site_page: https://docs.meshcore.io (fetched 2026-08-29T09:28:30.916493+00:00, sha 038794b4d266)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.