Getting Started Guide

How to Install and Use Geth

This guide covers installing Geth (Go Ethereum), syncing the Ethereum blockchain, and querying accounts, transactions, and smart contracts.

Prerequisites

-100GB+ disk space (snap sync)
-Linux or macOS
-Stable internet connection

Official Documentation

Install Geth

Install Geth from package manager or download the binary.

macOS

brew install ethereum

Ubuntu PPA

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:ethereum/ethereum && sudo apt update && sudo apt install geth

Verify

geth version

Start Syncing

Start Geth in snap sync mode (fastest way to get a usable node).

Start with snap sync

geth --syncmode snap --http --http.api eth,net,web3

Check sync progress

geth attach --exec 'eth.syncing'

Note: Snap sync downloads block headers and state data in parallel. It's much faster than full sync. The --http flags enable the JSON-RPC API for querying.

Query the Blockchain

Use the Geth JavaScript console to query accounts, balances, and transactions.

Attach to running node

geth attach

Check balance (in Wei)

eth.getBalance('0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045')

Get transaction details

eth.getTransaction('0xTXHASH')

Get latest block

eth.getBlock('latest')

Note: Balances are returned in Wei (1 ETH = 10^18 Wei). Use web3.fromWei(balance, 'ether') to convert.

JSON-RPC API

Query Geth programmatically via the HTTP JSON-RPC API.

Get balance via curl

curl -X POST http://localhost:8545 -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getBalance","params":["0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045","latest"],"id":1}'

Get block number

curl -X POST http://localhost:8545 -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}'

Note: The JSON-RPC API is how most tools (Ethers.js, Web3.py, Cast) communicate with Geth. Running your own node means you're not dependent on Infura or Alchemy rate limits.

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