Developer Tools & SDKs
The core software libraries and tools developers use to build applications on the XRP Ledger.
rippled: the core server software
rippled is the open-source server software (written primarily in C++) that implements the XRP Ledger protocol itself — it's what both validators and ordinary API-serving nodes run. It is maintained as an open-source project with contributions from Ripple, the XRPL Foundation, and independent community developers, not owned or closed-source-controlled by any single company. See Running a Validator for what running this software involves.
Client libraries
Rather than talking to rippled directly at a low level, most application developers use a client library in their language of choice, which handles transaction construction, signing, and communication with the network:
- xrpl.js — the most widely used JavaScript/TypeScript library for interacting with the XRPL, commonly used for both web and Node.js applications.
- xrpl-py — the equivalent Python library, popular for backend services, data analysis, and scripting.
- Additional community and Ripple-maintained libraries exist for other languages, though with varying levels of completeness and maintenance compared to the JS and Python libraries.
APIs for querying ledger data
rippled exposes a JSON-RPC and WebSocket API that client libraries build on top of, letting a developer submit transactions and query account, transaction, and ledger data directly. For applications that need to query large volumes of historical data more efficiently than repeatedly hitting a live node, several third-party indexed data APIs exist as an alternative to querying rippled directly.
Testnet and Devnet
The XRPL provides public Testnet and Devnet networks — parallel networks that mirror mainnet's rules but use worthless test XRP obtained for free from a "faucet" — allowing developers to build and test applications without risking real funds. Devnet typically runs newer, more experimental features ahead of Testnet and mainnet, useful for testing against upcoming amendments before they activate broadly.
Hooks development tools
For developers building on the Hooks-enabled Xahau sidechain, a separate toolchain exists for writing, compiling (to WebAssembly), and testing Hooks logic, distinct from the mainnet XRPL tooling described above.
Where the ecosystem's technical documentation lives
The XRP Ledger's official technical documentation — covering the full transaction reference, API reference, and tutorials — is maintained as an open resource and is generally the most authoritative and up-to-date source for exact current API and transaction specifications, which change incrementally as new amendments activate.