Equation of state of hypernuclear matter and neutron stars

These lectures contain a pedagogical introduction to the equation of state of nuclear matter and to the structure of neutron stars. Particular attention is devoted to the beta-equilibrium conditions and to the composition of neutron stars. The possible appearance of hyperons to reach the beta-equilibrium when the density increases is carefully analyzed. In general, the introduction of new degrees of freedom, such as for instance the hyperons, produces a softening of the equation of state and as a consequence the maximum mass of the neutron star decreases. Finally, relevant observational data are compared with microscopic predictions.