What Is Geth (Go Ethereum)?
Also known as: Geth, Go Ethereum, go-ethereum, Ethereum Execution Client
In short
Geth (Go Ethereum) is one of the oldest and historically most widely used Ethereum execution layer clients, written in the Go programming language; it is open-source software that lets a computer join the Ethereum network as a node.
Geth verifies transactions, runs smart contracts on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), stores blockchain data and the network's state, and communicates peer-to-peer with other nodes. Wallets and applications can read data from the node and send transactions through the JSON-RPC interface that Geth provides. The software also includes tools such as account management and setting up local networks for development purposes.
After Ethereum moved to Proof of Stake with The Merge in September 2022, a full node requires two pieces of software working together: an execution client such as Geth, and a consensus client such as Prysm, Lighthouse, Teku, Nimbus, or Lodestar. Geth no longer performs block production and chain selection on its own; these tasks belong to the consensus layer.
The fact that Geth made up the vast majority of execution clients for a long time brought the client diversity debate to the fore. If a critical bug appears in a single client, a large part of the network can be affected at the same time; for this reason, the community encourages the use of alternative clients such as Nethermind, Besu, and Erigon.
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