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paradigmxyz/reth

5,568RustAudience · developerComplexity · 4/5LicenseSetup · hard

TLDR

Reth is a fast, modular Ethereum execution client written in Rust for running a blockchain node, used by validators, API providers, and MEV operators who need high throughput and low sync times.

Mindmap

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  root((repo))
    What it does
      Connects to Ethereum
      Syncs blockchain history
      Modular components
    Use cases
      Staking and validation
      JSON-RPC API hosting
      MEV operations
      Custom EVM chains
    Storage
      Storage V2 format
      Historical data drive
      Smaller disk footprint
    Tech Stack
      Rust
      Ethereum EVM
    Audience
      Blockchain developers
      Node operators
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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Run a full Ethereum node for staking or validator operations with faster sync times than most other clients.

USE CASE 2

Build a custom Ethereum-compatible blockchain by reusing Reth's modular internal libraries in your own Rust project.

USE CASE 3

Host a public-facing JSON-RPC API endpoint for apps that query on-chain data.

USE CASE 4

Use Reth as the execution layer for MEV operations thanks to its transaction processing speed.

Tech stack

RustEthereumEVM

Getting it running

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1day+

Requires the Rust toolchain and Geth for the full test suite, a full mainnet node sync takes hours to days depending on hardware.

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, with no restrictions on modification or redistribution.

In plain English

Reth is a software program that connects a computer to the Ethereum blockchain network. Ethereum is a global computing platform where people run applications, trade digital tokens, and sign contracts without a central company in the middle. To participate in that network, a computer needs a piece of software called an execution client, and Reth is one such client, written in the Rust programming language. The team behind Reth, funded by crypto research firm Paradigm, built it with two priorities in mind: speed and modularity. On the speed side, benchmarks from third-party labs show it processes blockchain history faster than most other Ethereum clients. On the modularity side, every internal component is packaged as a standalone library that developers can import and reuse in their own projects, rather than being locked into one monolithic application. Reth reached a production-ready milestone in June 2024 after an external security audit, and released version 2.0 in April 2026. That version introduced a new storage format called Storage V2, which takes up less disk space and allows historical blockchain data to be placed on a separate drive. Existing installations using the older format continue to work, but the README notes that support for the old format will eventually be removed. The project is used in professional settings such as staking (where validators earn rewards for confirming transactions), running public-facing API endpoints for apps that query blockchain data, and MEV (a practice where operators extract value by reordering transactions). It also supports other blockchains that are compatible with Ethereum's virtual machine, so teams building their own chains can use Reth as a starting point. The code is released under the Apache and MIT licenses, meaning anyone can use, modify, or build on it without paying fees or asking permission. New contributors can find onboarding guides in the repository and get help through a public Telegram group. Building and running tests requires the Rust toolchain and, for the full test suite, the Geth Ethereum client installed separately.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I install and sync Reth to run a full Ethereum mainnet node from scratch?
Prompt 2
How do I upgrade an existing Reth node to Storage V2 format and move historical data to a separate drive?
Prompt 3
Show me how to import and use Reth's internal libraries in my own Rust project to process Ethereum blocks.
Prompt 4
How does Reth compare to Geth for running a validator node, and what are the performance trade-offs?
Prompt 5
How do I configure Reth for MEV extraction, and which settings affect transaction ordering?
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