# stellar/stellar-core

Reference implementation for the peer-to-peer agent that manages the Stellar network.

Repository: https://github.com/stellar/stellar-core
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/stellar-core
Homepage: https://www.stellar.org
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2026-08-24T18:42:15+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 98/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 97, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4300, "days_push": 9, "days_rel": 20, "gap_med": 23.0, "n_releases_24m": 23}
- 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 3300, forks 1073 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:55.685807+00:00)

## What it is
Stellar Core is the reference C++20 implementation of the peer-to-peer agent that runs the Stellar blockchain network. It maintains a replicated cryptographic ledger and processes transactions in consensus with peers using the federated Stellar Consensus Protocol.

## Use cases
- run a Stellar validator node
- operate a Stellar network node
- process transactions on the Stellar blockchain
- participate in Stellar Consensus Protocol consensus
- maintain a local copy of the Stellar ledger
- set up blockchain infrastructure for payments
- develop and test against the Stellar network core

## When to choose
- you need to run or operate a Stellar validator or full node
- you want the canonical, protocol-level implementation of the Stellar network
- you're building infrastructure like RPC or Horizon services that require core access
- you're contributing to Stellar protocol development

## When to avoid
- you just want to build apps on Stellar - use the SDKs, Horizon API, or RPC services instead
- you need smart contract development tooling - use Soroban tooling rather than core
- you want a lightweight wallet or client library rather than a full node
- you're working with a different blockchain network

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: blockchain, networking, cryptography, concurrency, database
- domain: blockchain, fintech, microservices, networking
- platform: windows, cpp, cross-platform
- tags: stellar, consensus-protocol, scp, validator-node, ledger, p2p, state-machine-replication, payments, smart-contracts, cryptocurrency, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- stellar/stellar-core (main) score 98

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:55.685807+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 2026-08-29T18:42:57.327099+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/stellar/stellar-core (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:55.685807+00:00, sha 7bda10d9a56f)
  - homepage: https://www.stellar.org (fetched 2026-08-29T09:35:39.368608+00:00, sha 71e580a3e796)
  - site_page: https://developers.stellar.org/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T09:35:39.380339+00:00, sha b90f0be1fd82)
  - site_page: https://developers.stellar.org (fetched 2026-08-29T09:35:39.378243+00:00, sha 65de760c8521)
  - site_page: https://stellar.org/connect (fetched 2026-08-29T09:35:39.382082+00:00, sha c673c4d72520)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.