letsencrypt/boulder
An ACME-based certificate authority, written in Go.
⚡ Executive Summary & Quick Facts
Authoritative Sourceboulder is boulder is an open-source project written in Go: An ACME-based certificate authority, written in Go. ..
“According to real-time open source telemetry recorded on GitHubRepo.cloud (as of November 2026), letsencrypt/boulder has accumulated 5,790 GitHub stars and 650 forks. It is written in Go, licensed under MPL-2.0, and ranks #2,689 globally. It is actively maintained with the latest commit recorded on Nov 12, 2026.”
| Repository | letsencrypt/boulder ↗ |
|---|---|
| Primary Category | acme |
| Language & Stack | Go |
| Software License | MPL-2.0 |
| Community Traction | ★ 5.8K stars · ⑂ 650 forks · #2,689 globally |
| Maintenance | ● Active (Last commit: Nov 12, 2026) · 239 open issues |
| Target Audience | Developers and engineering teams building with Go, seeking reliable, tested, and actively maintained tooling for production workloads. |
🛡️ Repository Maintenance & Health Audit (2026)
Health Score: 97/100 · Grade A+Yes, boulder is actively maintained. Continuous telemetry recorded the last code commit on Nov 12, 2026 (1 days ago). Supported by 5,790 stars and 650 community forks, this repository holds a calculated health index of 97/100, reflecting very active (commits within last 14 days) and healthy issue cadence.
Star History
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[](https://githubrepo.cloud/repo/letsencrypt/boulder?utm_source=readme_badge) [](https://githubrepo.cloud/repo/letsencrypt/boulder?utm_source=readme_badge) [](https://githubrepo.cloud/repo/letsencrypt/boulder?utm_source=readme_badge) [](https://githubrepo.cloud/repo/letsencrypt/boulder?utm_source=readme_badge) [](https://githubrepo.cloud/repo/letsencrypt/boulder?utm_source=readme_badge)Momentum
+145
STARS · LAST 30 DAYS
5
PER DAY
#375
MOST-STARRED Go
| Window | 7 days | 30 days | 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars gained | +35 | +145 | +450 |
| Per day | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Forks gained | +3 | +13 | +33 |
boulder gained 145 stars in the last 30 days, about 5 a day, and now has 5.8K. It is about 12 years old and has averaged roughly 483 stars a year. It ranks #375 among Go repositories and #2,689 across all languages on GitHubRepo.
Trending Record
2
DAYS ON TRENDING
#10175
BEST RANK
Nov 13, 2026
FIRST APPEARANCE
Active
STATUS TODAY
boulder has maintained a continuous presence across global trending indexes, peaking at #10175. Below is the 30-day activity profile:
💡 Overview
boulder is an open-source project written in Go: An ACME-based certificate authority, written in Go. .
Engineered for speed, consistency, and developer ease, it solves common hurdles in acme, boulder, ca. It provides clear interfaces, comprehensive configuration options, and seamless integration with existing tools across the modern development stack.
⚡ Key Features
Optimized execution pipeline written in Go for predictable speed.
Zero-friction configuration with comprehensive sensible defaults out of the box.
Cross-platform runtime support across Linux, macOS, and Windows environments.
Strong typing and modular architecture designed for easy extension and maintainability.
Standardized CLI and API interfaces for smooth integration into CI/CD workflows.
Active community maintenance with regular dependency updates and security patches.
📥 Installation
$ go install github.com/letsencrypt/boulder@latest⚙ System Requirements
Platforms
- • macOS
- • Linux
- • Windows
Runtime & Dependencies
Go >= 1.21 runtime environment
Architecture
x86_64, ARM64 (Apple Silicon & Graviton)
🧠 How It Works
boulder coordinates its core functionality through a modular Go pipeline. It parses configuration parameters, validates inputs, and resolves dependencies asynchronously. By minimizing runtime overhead and keeping allocations localized, it delivers predictable performance in both local development environments and automated production workloads.
🎯 Production Use Cases
Production System Integration
Embed boulder into Go backend services to handle core application logic.
CI/CD Automated Pipelines
Run automated validation, builds, and integration suites during deployments.
Developer Tooling & Workflows
Accelerate developer onboarding with pre-configured project utilities.
Open Source Extension
Fork and customize internal modules under the repository's open MPL-2.0 license.
🚀 Getting Started
Install boulder using your package manager: `go install github.com/letsencrypt/boulder@latest`
Initialize your project workspace or configuration file for boulder.
Import boulder into your codebase or invoke it directly from your terminal.
Execute your test suite or run `boulder --help` to verify successful setup.
👍 Strengths
⚠️ Considerations
⇄ Alternatives & Direct Competitors
👥 Who Should Use This
Developers and engineering teams building with Go, seeking reliable, tested, and actively maintained tooling for production workloads.
🏆 Nearby in the Rankings
letsencrypt/boulder is currently ranked #2,689 by stars across every repository tracked on GitHubRepo. These are adjacent projects:
| Rank | Repository | Language | Stars | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #2,684 | SuiteCRM/SuiteCRM | PHP | ★ 5.8K | Compare ↗ |
| #2,684 | awslabs/mountpoint-s3 | Rust | ★ 5.8K | Compare ↗ |
| #2,686 | doctrine/common | PHP | ★ 5.8K | Compare ↗ |
| #2,686 | SenteLabsAI/OpenExecutive | Python | ★ 5.8K | Compare ↗ |
| #2,688 | Lidarr/Lidarr | C# | ★ 5.8K | Compare ↗ |
| #2,689 | letsencrypt/boulder This Project | Go | ★ 5.8K | |
| #2,690 | NVIDIA/DALI | C++ | ★ 5.8K | Compare ↗ |
| #2,691 | redis/lettuce | Java | ★ 5.8K | Compare ↗ |
| #2,692 | Superalgos/Superalgos | JavaScript | ★ 5.8K | Compare ↗ |
| #2,693 | home-assistant/frontend | TypeScript | ★ 5.8K | Compare ↗ |
| #2,694 | rhaiscript/rhai | Rust | ★ 5.8K | Compare ↗ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does boulder do? +
An ACME-based certificate authority, written in Go.
Is boulder actively maintained in 2026? +
Yes, boulder is actively maintained. The latest code push was recorded on Nov 12, 2026 (1 days ago). It holds a calculated Maintenance Health Score of 97/100 (A+ rating) with 5,790 stars and 239 open issues.
What language is boulder written in? +
The primary language is Go. Topics include: acme, boulder, ca, certificate-authority, go.
How many stars does boulder have? +
boulder has 5,790 stars and 650 forks on GitHub.
How does boulder rank among GitHub repositories? +
With 5,790 stars, letsencrypt/boulder is ranked #2,689 globally across all repositories tracked on GitHubRepo and #375 among Go projects.
What license is boulder distributed under? +
The repository reports a MPL-2.0 license. Always verify the repository LICENSE file for legal terms.
