# Ethereum consensus clients: comparison (merge 2)

This merge covers five consensus-layer clients: Lighthouse, Prysm, Teku, Nimbus and Lodestar. All five item results were present and non-empty. Every value below comes from those item results, which were checked on 2026-10-27, and each cell gives the source the item cited. The merge did not re-fetch any page.

## Comparison table

| Client | Release tag | Release date (UTC) | License (SPDX) | Language | Maintainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lighthouse | `v8.3.2` ([release page](https://github.com/sigp/lighthouse/releases/tag/v8.3.2)) | 2026-10-23 ([release metadata](https://api.github.com/repos/sigp/lighthouse/releases/tags/v8.3.2)) | `Apache-2.0` ([LICENSE at v8.3.2](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sigp/lighthouse/v8.3.2/LICENSE); [repo](https://github.com/sigp/lighthouse)) | Rust ([README at v8.3.2](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sigp/lighthouse/v8.3.2/README.md)) | Sigma Prime ([README at v8.3.2](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sigp/lighthouse/v8.3.2/README.md)) |
| Prysm | `v7.3.1` ([release page](https://github.com/OffchainLabs/prysm/releases/tag/v7.3.1)) | 2026-10-22 ([latest-release metadata](https://api.github.com/repos/OffchainLabs/prysm/releases/latest)) | `GPL-3.0` ¹ ([license metadata](https://api.github.com/repos/OffchainLabs/prysm/license); [LICENSE.md at v7.3.1](https://github.com/OffchainLabs/prysm/blob/v7.3.1/LICENSE.md)) | Go ([README, Overview](https://github.com/OffchainLabs/prysm#-overview)) | Offchain Labs ([README, Overview](https://github.com/OffchainLabs/prysm#-overview)) |
| Teku | `26.10.2` ([release page](https://github.com/Consensys-Incorporated/teku/releases/tag/26.10.2)) | 2026-10-22 ([latest-release API](https://api.github.com/repos/Consensys-Incorporated/teku/releases/latest)) | `Apache-2.0` ([repository](https://github.com/Consensys-Incorporated/teku)) | Java ([repository README](https://github.com/Consensys-Incorporated/teku)) | Consensys, with community contributors ([GOVERNANCE.md](https://github.com/Consensys-Incorporated/teku/blob/master/GOVERNANCE.md)) |
| Nimbus | `v26.10.2` ([release page](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2/releases/tag/v26.10.2)) | 2026-10-23 ([latest release](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2/releases/latest)) | `MIT OR Apache-2.0` ² ([README, License](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2/blob/stable/README.md#license)) | Nim ([repository](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2)) | Status (`status-im` org) ³ ([repository](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2)) |
| Lodestar | `v1.50.1` ([release page](https://github.com/ChainSafe/lodestar/releases/tag/v1.50.1)) | 2026-10-22 ([latest-release API](https://api.github.com/repos/ChainSafe/lodestar/releases/latest)) | `Apache-2.0` ⁴ ([repo API metadata](https://api.github.com/repos/ChainSafe/lodestar)) | TypeScript ([repo API `language` field](https://api.github.com/repos/ChainSafe/lodestar)) | ChainSafe ³ ([repository](https://github.com/ChainSafe/lodestar)) |

Every item confirmed that its release had `prerelease: false` and `draft: false` in GitHub's release metadata. Lighthouse's item also excluded `v8.4.0-rc.0`, which is [labelled a pre-release](https://github.com/sigp/lighthouse/releases).

Notes on the table:

1. **Prysm license.** `GPL-3.0` is the value from GitHub's license metadata. SPDX deprecates that identifier ([SPDX record](https://spdx.org/licenses/GPL-3.0.html)). The item did not establish whether the precise identifier is `GPL-3.0-only` or `GPL-3.0-or-later`, so the merge does not choose one.
2. **Nimbus license.** GitHub's license detector reports `NOASSERTION` because the project is dual-licensed. The SPDX expression comes from the README's License section, which offers MIT or Apache-2.0 "at your option".
3. **Maintainer from repository ownership.** For Nimbus and Lodestar, the maintainer was taken from the GitHub organisation that owns the repository. The Lodestar item says it did not check a page that states the maintainer explicitly. The other three maintainers come from a README or governance document.
4. **Lodestar license and language.** Both values come from GitHub's repository metadata, not from a LICENSE file or README. The item did not open a LICENSE file.

## Notable changes in each release (from the items)

- **Lighthouse v8.3.2:** disables the scheduled Gloas fork on Hoodi, replacing the Hoodi fork instructions in v8.3.0 and v8.3.1. Hoodi users had to upgrade before 2026-10-26 17:42:48 UTC. Mainnet users did not need this upgrade. This is the only substantive change in the notes. ([notes](https://github.com/sigp/lighthouse/releases/tag/v8.3.2))
- **Prysm v7.3.1:** removes the scheduled Gloas/Glamsterdam activation on Hoodi. The patch contains a single PR, and mainnet operators already on v7.3.0 need not update. ([notes](https://github.com/OffchainLabs/prysm/releases/tag/v7.3.1))
- **Teku 26.10.2:** removes the Hoodi Gloas fork schedule, which was set for epoch 132352 (2026-10-26). The update is required for Hoodi and optional elsewhere. This is the only change listed. ([notes](https://github.com/Consensys-Incorporated/teku/releases/tag/26.10.2))
- **Nimbus v26.10.2:**
  - Unschedules the Hoodi Glamsterdam activation; the notes rate this high-urgency for Hoodi and low-urgency for other networks ([#9350](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2/pull/9350)).
  - Accepts a list of payload builder URLs ([#9336](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2/pull/9336)). TOML configs must give `--payload-builder-url` as a list.
  - Adds beacon REST API endpoints such as getProposerPreferences ([#9296](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2/pull/9296)), getStatePtc and getProposerLookahead.
  
  Source: [notes](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2/releases/tag/v26.10.2).
- **Lodestar v1.50.1:**
  - A critical update that all users must install. Hoodi operators must upgrade before epoch 132352 because v1.50.0 would still activate Gloas there. Gloas and the 200M gas limit are unscheduled on Hoodi (#10461).
  - Node.js runtimes are refreshed because of the eMudhra certificate-authority compromise (#10459). The minimum supported version is now Node.js 24.22.1, and people who build from source must upgrade Node.js themselves.
  
  Source: [notes](https://github.com/ChainSafe/lodestar/releases/tag/v1.50.1).

## What stands out

- **All five clients released for the same reason.** Each newest stable release came out on 2026-10-22 or 2026-10-23, and each one unschedules the Gloas (Glamsterdam) fork on the Hoodi testnet, which had been set for epoch 132352 (2026-10-26). The items agree on this. Lighthouse gives the activation time as 2026-10-26 17:42:48 UTC, and Teku and Lodestar give the epoch as 132352. Every release was a Hoodi-driven patch, not a feature release.
- **Urgency differs by client.** Lodestar alone calls its release critical for all users, because it also ships a Node.js runtime security refresh. Prysm, Lighthouse and Teku say mainnet operators need not, or are not required to, upgrade. Nimbus rates its release low-urgency outside Hoodi.
- **Nimbus shipped new features in its patch.** It is the only one of the five to include feature work: multiple builder URLs and new REST endpoints.
- **Licenses are mostly permissive.** Lighthouse, Teku and Lodestar use Apache-2.0, and Nimbus is dual MIT/Apache-2.0. Prysm is the only copyleft client (GPL-3.0), and its exact SPDX form (`-only` or `-or-later`) is unresolved.
- **Each client uses a different language.** The five are written in Rust, Go, Java, Nim and TypeScript, and each has a different organisational maintainer: Sigma Prime, Offchain Labs, Consensys, Status and ChainSafe.
- **Teku's repository location is unusual.** The Teku item cites the repository under the `Consensys-Incorporated` GitHub organisation. That is the path the item used, and the merge reports it as given without re-checking it.
- **Two version schemes are in use.** Teku and Nimbus use calendar-style versions (`26.10.2`, `v26.10.2`). The other three use semantic versions.

## Missing results

None. All five item results (lighthouse, prysm, teku, nimbus, lodestar) were present and gave a value for every table field, with no "not found" entries. The weaker sourcing is listed in notes 1 to 4 above: Prysm's license identifier is ambiguous, and the Nimbus and Lodestar maintainers and the Lodestar license and language rest on repository metadata.