The best standard libraries, according to hackers
7 standard libraries were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 1 earns the Hacker Approved badge.
Top pick
The most recommended standard library with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Covers most needs without dependencies
Recommended for a large, stable set of packages that let Go programs avoid third-party dependencies, though critics say parts are low quality.
All 7 standard libraries, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Go standard library | 34 | 15 | 69% | 11 | — | Approved |
| 2 | C++ Standard Library | 15 | 23 | 39% | 8 | — | — |
| 3 | Python standard library | 13 | 7 | 65% | 8 | — | — |
| 4 | Rust standard library | 12 | 16 | 43% | 9 | — | — |
| 5 | Java standard library | 7 | 3 | 70% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 6 | Micron C++ standard library | 5 | 1 | 83% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 6 | STL (C++ Standard Template Library) | 5 | 8 | 38% | 4 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same standard library in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to standard libraries that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
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