# danderson/netboot

Packages and utilities for network booting

Repository: https://github.com/danderson/netboot
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/netboot
Language: Go
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: pxe, dhcp, netboot, tftp, pcap, pixiecore
Last push: 2026-02-01T19:05:55+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 62/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 65, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3823, "days_push": 213, "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 1608, forks 198 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:10.662295+00:00)

## What it is
A Go repository providing implementations of network boot protocols (DHCPv4, TFTP, pcap) plus Pixiecore, an all-in-one CLI tool for easily netbooting machines over the network. It is no longer actively developed but remains usable.

## Use cases
- boot machines over the network with pxe
- run a dhcp and tftp server for netbooting
- boot a live linux iso on a machine without touching a usb drive
- write go code that speaks dhcp or tftp
- read and write pcap packet capture files in go
- quickly netboot a lab of machines from one server

## When to choose
- you need a simple all-in-one pxe boot server without complex setup
- you want go libraries for dhcp4, tftp, or pcap packet handling
- you want to boot kernels or ISOs over the network with minimal configuration

## When to avoid
- you need actively maintained or updated netboot tooling
- you need advanced pxe features like UEFI HTTP boot or secure boot
- you need a full-featured enterprise network boot infrastructure

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: networking, cli, developer-tools
- domain: networking, developer-tools
- platform: go, cross-platform
- tags: pxe, dhcp, tftp, netboot, pixiecore, pcap, command-line, linux

## Member repositories
- danderson/netboot (main) score 62

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:10.662295+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 2026-08-30T03:51:21.305508+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/danderson/netboot (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:10.662295+00:00, sha 52bfc118cbfa)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.