> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Go library overview

> Use go-ethereum as a Go library to build Ethereum applications.

The `go-ethereum` project is published as an importable Go module. You can embed a full Ethereum client, talk to any node over JSON-RPC, sign transactions, decode ABI data, and more — all from a regular Go program.

## Module path

```
github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum
```

## Installation

```bash theme={null}
go get github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum
```

<Note>
  go-ethereum library code is licensed under the **GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0** (LGPL-3.0). You can link it into proprietary software, but modifications to the library itself must be released under the same license.
</Note>

## Key packages

| Package                                        | Description                                                                         |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [`ethclient`](/go-library/ethclient)           | Typed RPC client — connect to any Ethereum node over HTTP, WebSocket, or IPC        |
| [`ethclient/simulated`](/go-library/ethclient) | In-memory blockchain for unit tests; no external node required                      |
| [`accounts/abi`](/go-library/accounts)         | ABI encoding, decoding, and event parsing                                           |
| [`accounts/keystore`](/go-library/accounts)    | Encrypted key storage (Web3 Secret Storage format)                                  |
| [`core/types`](/go-library/core-types)         | Canonical types: `Block`, `Transaction`, `Receipt`, `Log`, `Header`                 |
| [`rpc`](/go-library/rpc-client)                | Low-level JSON-RPC client; use when `ethclient` does not expose the method you need |
| `crypto`                                       | Ethereum cryptography: `keccak256`, ECDSA key generation and signing                |
| `common`                                       | `common.Address` (20 bytes) and `common.Hash` (32 bytes)                            |

## Quick orientation

```go theme={null}
import (
    "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethclient"
    "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
    "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
    "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/accounts/abi"
    "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/accounts/keystore"
    "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rpc"
    "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/crypto"
)
```

### Typical workflow

1. **Connect** to a node with `ethclient.Dial` (or use `ethclient/simulated` in tests).
2. **Read chain state** — block numbers, balances, storage — via `ethclient.Client` methods.
3. **Encode calls** with `accounts/abi` and build typed transactions using `core/types`.
4. **Sign** transactions with `types.SignTx` and a private key, or via `accounts/keystore`.
5. **Submit** with `ethclient.Client.SendTransaction`.
6. **Drop down** to the raw `rpc.Client` when you need Geth-specific or admin methods.

## Subpages

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="ethclient" href="/go-library/ethclient">
    Connect to a node, read blocks, send transactions, subscribe to events.
  </Card>

  <Card title="accounts/abi and keystore" href="/go-library/accounts">
    ABI encoding/decoding and encrypted key management.
  </Card>

  <Card title="core/types" href="/go-library/core-types">
    Block, Transaction, Receipt, Log, and Header types.
  </Card>

  <Card title="rpc client" href="/go-library/rpc-client">
    Low-level JSON-RPC client for custom and Geth-specific methods.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>