# Install lighthouse with Homebrew, apk, Nix

Rust Ethereum 2.0 Client. Version 8.2.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-21. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#lighthouse.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:lighthouse
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install lighthouse
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- apk (92%):

```sh
sudo apk add lighthouse
```

  Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: lighthouse from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#lighthouse
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/lighthouse/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:lighthouse
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 8.2.1
- **Source summary:** Rust Ethereum 2.0 Client
- **Homepage:** <https://lighthouse.sigmaprime.io/>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/sigp/lighthouse>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-21T07:02:33Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- lighthouse (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 8.2.1
## Project history and usage

Lighthouse is Sigma Prime's Rust implementation of an Ethereum proof-of-stake consensus client. It supplies the beacon-node and validator-client software used to participate in Ethereum consensus, following the ethereum/consensus-specs work rather than defining a separate chain protocol.

### Project history

The project grew out of the multi-client Ethereum 2.0 effort, where independent clients were built in several languages to avoid network-level monoculture. Lighthouse's identity has remained tied to Rust, security review, fuzzing, and operational documentation for validators.

The v1.0.0 release on November 24, 2020 marked the transition to a production/stable development phase for genesis staking, with mainnet genesis state included in the binary. After Ethereum's proof-of-stake chain became operational, Lighthouse continued as one of the major consensus-layer implementations alongside clients such as Prysm, Teku, Nimbus, and Lodestar.

### Adoption history

Lighthouse was adopted by Ethereum node operators and solo stakers because it packaged a beacon node, validator client, validator-account tooling, Docker images, and detailed operator documentation in one client family. Distribution through Homebrew and other package managers made it unusually easy for Unix users to install a consensus client from the same workflow used for ordinary developer tools.

### How it is used

Typical usage is running a Lighthouse beacon node beside an Ethereum execution client, then running a validator client for staking keys when the operator is validating. The command-line surface also includes account and validator utilities, making the package relevant both to long-running infrastructure and to one-off validator administration.

### Why package nerds care

For package maintainers, Lighthouse is a good example of a blockchain daemon that is not just a single executable: releases are tied to protocol upgrades, binary distribution matters for validators, and operational correctness depends on pairing it with the right execution-layer and networking configuration.

### Timeline

- 2020-11-24: Lighthouse v1.0.0 marked the production/stable phase for Ethereum mainnet genesis staking.
- 2022: Ethereum's move to proof of stake made consensus clients such as Lighthouse part of the normal full-node stack.
- 2026: Lighthouse documentation described it as an Ethereum consensus client implementing the ethereum/consensus-specs repository.

### Related projects

- Lighthouse is related to the ethereum/consensus-specs repository, the Ethereum execution clients it must pair with, and other consensus clients including Prysm, Teku, Nimbus, and Lodestar. Sigma Prime also maintains Siren, a user interface for Lighthouse beacon-node and validator-client installations.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/sigp/lighthouse>
- <https://github.com/sigp/lighthouse/releases/tag/v1.0.0>
- <https://github.com/sigp/siren>
- <https://lighthouse-book.sigmaprime.io/>
- <https://lighthouse-book.sigmaprime.io/help_general.html>


## Security Notes

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

- **Geiger risk:** blue / medium
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - lighthouse: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/lighthouse/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- apk - lighthouse - 8.2.0-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: lighthouse from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Ethereum 2.0 Client | https://lighthouse.sigmaprime.io/
- apk - lighthouse-doc - 8.2.0-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: lighthouse-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Ethereum 2.0 Client (documentation) | https://lighthouse.sigmaprime.io/


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/lighthouse.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/lighthouse.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph