# pandax381/microps

An implementation of a small TCP/IP protocol stack for learning.

Repository: https://github.com/pandax381/microps
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/microps
Language: C
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: tcpip-stack, tcp-ip, tuntap
Last push: 2026-07-24T15:37:47+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 75/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 94, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4947, "days_push": 40, "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 1322, forks 745 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:22.115871+00:00)

## What it is
microps is a small, educational implementation of a TCP/IP protocol stack written in C, covering Ethernet, ARP, IP, ICMP, UDP, and TCP with a socket-like API. It runs on Linux using TUN/TAP and PF_PACKET devices and is designed for learning how networking protocols work from scratch.

## Use cases
- learn how TCP/IP works by reading a minimal implementation
- build a userspace TCP/IP stack from scratch
- study networking protocol internals in C
- teach a computer networks course with hands-on code
- experiment with TUN/TAP virtual network devices
- understand how sockets are implemented under the hood

## When to choose
- you want readable, small code to learn TCP/IP internals
- you are following a step-by-step networking tutorial or book
- you need a simple userspace stack for educational experiments on Linux

## When to avoid
- you need a production-grade, high-performance network stack
- you need IPv6, TLS, or advanced protocol features
- you need portability beyond Linux (TUN/TAP drivers are Linux-specific)

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: networking, developer-tools
- domain: networking, education, operating-systems
- platform: c, cpp
- tags: tcp-ip, protocol-stack, tuntap, learning-resource, systems-programming, linux

## Member repositories
- pandax381/microps (main) score 75

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:22.115871+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 2026-08-30T04:47:14.904071+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/pandax381/microps (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:22.115871+00:00, sha 54b5cc4abf77)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.