Golang IPLD Libraries

go-ipld-prime

The primary library for working with IPLD data in Golang is go-ipld-prime (godoc).

The go-ipld-prime library is centered around a Node interface which matches the IPLD Data Model.

The go-ipld-prime library comes "batteries included" with several codecs such as DAG-CBOR and DAG-JSON, and also allows registering more codec implementations using the multicodec system (or, even more directly, by customizing the LinkSystem, an API which allows arbitrary callbacks for hooking).

The go-ipld-prime library supports many advanced features such as ADLs, Schemas, and IPLD Selectors.

Other Libraries

Legacy libraries

go-ipld-format (github.com/ipfs/go-ipld-format) (and its friends, such as go-ipld-cbor (github.com/ipfs/go-ipld-cbor)) are legacy libraries.

These libraries are still supported, but minimally, and new features should not be expected in them. It's recommend that new developments use go-ipld-prime instead.

In particular, be aware that features like Selectors are missing from these libraries, and will not be implemented in them. (These features require a foundational commitment to the Data Model which these libraries lack; attempting to introduce that would be the same as doing a total rewrite of the library.)