single_file_libs/README.md

# Single-file public-domain/open source libraries with minimal dependencies

I am the author of a large number of [single-file C/C++ public domain libraries](https://github.com/nothings/stb).
I am not the only person who writes libraries like this, so below are other, similar libraries.

Generally, the following is a list of small, easy-to-integrate, portable libraries
which are usable from C and/or C++, and should be able to be compiled on both
32-bit and 64-bit platforms.

### Rules

- Libraries must be usable from C or C++, ideally both
- Libraries should be usable from more than one platform (ideally, all major desktops and/or all major mobile)
- Libraries should compile and work on both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms
- Libraries should use at most two files

Exceptions will be allowed for good reasons.

### New libraries and corrections

See discussion after the list.

### JSON Parsing

There are a lot of JSON parsers listed here. For some analysis and performance
results, check out https://github.com/miloyip/nativejson-benchmark

### Other lists

Also you might be interested in other related, but different lists:

- [clib](https://github.com/clibs/clib/wiki/Packages): list of (mostly) small single C functions (licenses not listed)

### Library listing

**Public domain single-file libraries usable from C and C++ are in bold.** Other
libraries are either non-public domain, or two files, or not usable from both C and C++, or
all three. Libraries of more than two files are mostly forbidden.

For the API column, "C" means C only, "C++" means C++ only, and "C/C++" means C/C++ usable
from either; some files may require *building* as C or C++ but still qualify as "C/C++" as
long as the header file uses `extern "C"` to make it work. (In some cases, a header-file-only
library may compile as both C or C++, but produce an implementation that can only be called from
one or the other, because of a lack of use of `extern "C"`; in this case the table still qualifies it
as C/C++, as this is not an obstacle to most users.)

### Categories:

  - [2D graphics](#graphics-(2d))
  - [3D graphics](#graphics-(3d))
  - [3D geometry file processing](#geometry-file)
  - [AI](#ai)
  - [argument processing](#argv)
  - [audio](#audio)
  - [compression](#compression)
  - [cryptography](#crypto)
  - [data structures](#data-structures)
  - [files and filenames](#files-&-filenames)
  - [hardware interfacing](#hardware)
  - [image loading & processing](#images)
  - [mathematics for geometry](#geometry-math)
  - [mathematics](#math)
  - [miscellaneous](#miscellaneous)
  - [multithreading](#multithreading)
  - [networking](#network)
  - [parsing](#parsing)
  - [profiling](#profiling)
  - [scripting](#scripting)
  - [string processing](#strings)
  - [tests](#tests)
  - [user interface](#user-interface)
  - [video](#video)


# AI
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [micropather](http://www.grinninglizard.com/MicroPather/)            | zlib                 | C++ |  2  | pathfinding with A\*
|  [Genann](https://github.com/codeplea/genann)                         | zlib                 |C/C++|  2  | simple neural networks (ANN)

# argv
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [parg](https://github.com/jibsen/parg)                               | **public domain**    |  C  |  1  | command-line argument parsing

# audio
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [aw_ima.h](https://github.com/afterwise/aw-ima/blob/master/aw-ima.h) | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| IMA-ADPCM audio decoder
|**[dr_flac](https://github.com/mackron/dr_libs)**                      | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| FLAC audio decoder
|**[dr_wav](https://github.com/mackron/dr_libs)**                       | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| WAV audio loader
|**[sts_mixer](https://github.com/kieselsteini/sts)**                   | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| simple stereo audio mixer

# compression
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|**[miniz.c](https://github.com/richgel999/miniz)**                     |**public domain**|C/C++|**1**| compression,decompression, zip file, png writing
|  [lz4](https://github.com/Cyan4973/lz4)                               | BSD                  |C/C++|  2  | fast but larger LZ compression
|  [fastlz](https://code.google.com/archive/p/fastlz/source/default/source) | MIT              |C/C++|  2  | fast but larger LZ compression
|  [pithy](https://github.com/johnezang/pithy)                          | BSD                  |C/C++|  2  | fast but larger LZ compression

# crypto
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [TweetNaCl](http://tweetnacl.cr.yp.to/software.html)                 | **public domain**    |  C  |  2  | high-quality tiny cryptography library

# data structures
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [klib](http://attractivechaos.github.io/klib/)                       | MIT                  |C/C++|  2  | many 2-file libs: hash, sort, b-tree, etc
|  [uthash](https://github.com/troydhanson/uthash)                      | BSD                  |C/C++|  2  | several 1-header, 1-license-file libs: generic hash, list, etc
|  [PackedArray](https://github.com/gpakosz/PackedArray)                | **WTFPLv2**          |  C  |  2  | memory-efficient array of elements with non-pow2 bitcount
|  [minilibs](https://github.com/ccxvii/minilibs)                       | **public domain**    |  C  |  2  | two-file binary tress (also regex, etc)
|**[DG_dynarr.h](https://github.com/DanielGibson/Snippets/)**           | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| typesafe dynamic arrays (like std::vector) for plain C

#files & filenames
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|**[DG_misc.h](https://github.com/DanielGibson/Snippets/)**             | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| Daniel Gibson's stb.h-esque cross-platform helpers: path/file, strings
|  [whereami](https://github.com/gpakosz/whereami)                      | **WTFPLv2**          |C/C++|  2  | get path/filename of executable or module
|  [dirent](https://github.com/tronkko/dirent)                          | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| dirent for windows: retrieve file & dir info
|  [TinyDir](https://github.com/cxong/tinydir)                          | BSD                  |  C  |**1**| cross-platform directory reader

#geometry file
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [tk_objfile](https://github.com/joeld42/tk_objfile)                  | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| OBJ file loader
|  [tinyply](https://github.com/ddiakopoulos/tinyply)                   | **public domain**    | C++ |  2  | PLY mesh file loader
|  [tinyobjloader](https://github.com/syoyo/tinyobjloader)              | MIT                  | C++ |**1**| wavefront OBJ file loader
|  [tinyobjloader-c](https://github.com/syoyo/tinyobjloader-c)          | MIT                  |  C  |**1**| wavefront OBJ file loader
|  [yocto_obj.h](https://github.com/xelatihy/yocto-gl)                  | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| wavefront OBJ file loader

#geometry math
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|**[nv_voronoi.h](http://www.icculus.org/~mordred/nvlib/)**             | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| find voronoi regions on lattice w/ integer inputs
|**[sobol.h](https://github.com/Marc-B-Reynolds/Stand-alone-junk/)**    | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| sobol & stratified sampling sequences
|  [sdf.h](https://github.com/memononen/SDF)                            | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| compute signed-distance field from antialiased image
|  [nanoflann](https://github.com/jlblancoc/nanoflann)                  | BSD                  | C++ |**1**| build KD trees for point clouds
|  [jc_voronoi](https://github.com/JCash/voronoi)                       | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| find voronoi regions on float/double data
|  [par_msquares](https://github.com/prideout/par)                      | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| convert (binarized) image to triangles
|  [par_shapes](http://github.prideout.net/shapes)                      | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| generate various 3d geometric shapes
|  [Tomas Akenine-Moller snippets](http://tinyurl.com/ht79ndj)          | **public domain**    |C/C++|  2  | various 3D intersection calculations, not lib-ified
|  [Clipper](http://www.angusj.com/delphi/clipper.php)                  | Boost                | C++ |  2  | line & polygon clipping & offsetting
|  [PolyPartition](https://github.com/ivanfratric/polypartition)        | MIT                  | C++ |  2  | polygon triangulation, partitioning
|  [Voxelizer](https://github.com/karimnaaji/voxelizer)                 | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| convert triangle mesh to voxel triangle mesh
|  [yocto_bvh.h](https://github.com/xelatihy/yocto-gl)                  | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| ray-casting and closest-element queries of bounding-volume hierarchy
|  [yocto_shape.h](https://github.com/xelatihy/yocto-gl)                | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| shape generation, tesselation, normals, etc.

#graphics (2d)
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [blendish](https://bitbucket.org/duangle/oui-blendish/src)           | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| blender-style widget rendering
|  [tigr](https://bitbucket.org/rmitton/tigr/src)                       | **public domain**    |C/C++|  2  | quick-n-dirty window text/graphics for Windows and OSX
|  [noc_turtle](https://github.com/guillaumechereau/noc)                | MIT                  |C/C++|  2  | procedural graphics generator

#graphics (3d)
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [yocto_trace.h](https://github.com/xelatihy/yocto-gl)                | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| physically-based unidirectional path tracer w/ MIS for direct lights
|  [yocto_symrigid.h](https://github.com/xelatihy/yocto-gl)             | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| rigid body simulator (sequential impulse/PGS) with support for concave objects
|  [mikktspace](http://tinyurl.com/z6xtucm)                             | zlib                 |C/C++|  2  | compute tangent space for normal mapping
|  [debug-draw](https://github.com/glampert/debug-draw)                 | **public domain**    | C++ |**1**| API-agnostic immediate-mode debug rendering
|**[lightmapper](https://github.com/ands/lightmapper#lightmapper)**     | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| use your OpenGL renderer to offline bake lightmaps

#hardware
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|**[EasyTab](https://github.com/ApoorvaJ/EasyTab)**                     | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| multi-platform tablet input

#images
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [jo_gif.cpp](http://www.jonolick.com/home/gif-writer)                | **public domain**    | C++ |**1**| animated GIF writer (CPP file can also be used as H file)
|**[gif.h](https://github.com/ginsweater/gif-h)**                       | **public domain**    |  C  |**1**| animated GIF writer (can only include once)
|**[tiny_jpeg.h](https://github.com/serge-rgb/TinyJPEG/)**              | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| JPEG encoder
|**[gif_load](https://github.com/hidefromkgb/gif_load)**              | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| (animated) GIF reader
|  [miniexr](https://github.com/aras-p/miniexr)                         | **public domain**    | C++ |  2  | OpenEXR writer, needs header file
|  [tinyexr](https://github.com/syoyo/tinyexr)                          | BSD                  |C/C++|**1**| EXR image read/write, uses miniz internally  
|  [lodepng](http://lodev.org/lodepng/)                                 | zlib                 |C/C++|  2  | PNG encoder/decoder
|  [nanoSVG](https://github.com/memononen/nanosvg)                      | zlib                 |C/C++|**1**| 1-file SVG parser; 1-file SVG rasterizer
|  [picopng.cpp](http://lodev.org/lodepng/picopng.cpp)                  | zlib                 | C++ |  2  | tiny PNG loader
|  [jpeg-compressor](https://github.com/richgel999/jpeg-compressor)     | **public domain**    | C++ |  2  | 2-file jpeg compress, 2-file jpeg decompress
|  [easyexif](https://github.com/mayanklahiri/easyexif)                 | MIT                  | C++ |  2  | EXIF metadata extractor for JPEG images
|**[cro_mipmap.h](https://github.com/thebeast33/cro_lib)**              | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| average, min, max mipmap generators

#math
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [mm_vec.h](https://github.com/vurtun/mmx)                            | BSD                  |C/C++|**1**| SIMD vector math
|**[Handmade Math](https://github.com/StrangeZak/Handmade-Math)**       | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| vector math
|**[gb_math](https://github.com/gingerBill/gb/blob/master/gb_math.h)**  | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| Vector, quaternion and matrix math w/o math.h
|**[ccVector.h](https://github.com/jobtalle/ccVector)**                 | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| Vector, quaternion and matrix math
|  [ShaderFastLibs](https://github.com/michaldrobot/ShaderFastLibs)     | MIT                  | C++ |**1**| (also HLSL) approximate transcendental functions optimized for shaders (esp. GCN)
|  [TinyExpr](https://github.com/codeplea/tinyexpr)                     | zlib                 |  C  |  2  | evaluation of math expressions from strings
|  [linalg.h](https://github.com/sgorsten/linalg)                      | **unlicense**         | C++ |**1**| vector/matrix/quaternion math
|  [PoissonGenerator.h](https://github.com/corporateshark/poisson-disk-generator) | MIT        | C++ |**1**| Poisson disk points generator (disk or rect)
|  [prns.h](http://marc-b-reynolds.github.io/shf/2016/04/19/prns.html)  | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| seekable pseudo-random number sequences
|  [aomeba](https://github.com/starwing/amoeba)                         | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| constraint solver (Cassowary) w/Lua binding

#multithreading
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [mm_sched.h](https://github.com/vurtun/mmx)                          | zlib                 |C/C++|**1**| cross-platform multithreaded task scheduler

#network
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|**[zed_net](https://github.com/ZedZull/zed_net)**                      | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| cross-platform socket wrapper
|**[sts_net](https://github.com/kieselsteini/sts)**                     | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| cross-platform socket wrapper (socket sets and packet API)
|  [mm_web.h](https://github.com/vurtun/mmx)                            | BSD                  |C/C++|**1**| lightweight webserver, fork of webby
|  [par_easycurl.h](https://github.com/prideout/par)                    | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| curl wrapper
|  [yocto](https://github.com/tom-seddon/yhs)                           | **public domain**    |C/C++|  2  | non-production-use http server
|  [happyhttp](https://github.com/Zintinio/HappyHTTP)                   | zlib                 | C++ |  2  | http client requests
|  [mongoose](https://github.com/cesanta/mongoose)                      |_GPLv2_               |C/C++|  2  | http server
|  [LUrlParser](https://github.com/corporateshark/LUrlParser)           | MIT                  | C++ |  2  | lightweight URL & URI parser RFC 1738, RFC 3986
|  [znet](https://github.com/starwing/znet)                             | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| cross-platform networking w/ lua binding

#parsing
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [SLRE](https://github.com/cesanta/slre)                              |_GPLv2_               |C/C++|**1**| regular expression matcher
|  [PicoJSON](https://github.com/kazuho/picojson)                       | BSD                  | C++ |**1**| JSON parse/serializer
|  [mm_lexer.h](https://github.com/vurtun/mmx)                          | zlib                 |C/C++|**1**| C-esque language lexer
|  [json.h](https://github.com/sheredom/json.h)                         | **public domain**    |C/C++|  2  | JSON parser
|  [jzon.h](https://github.com/Zguy/Jzon)                               | MIT                  | C++ |  2  | JSON parser
|  [parson](https://github.com/kgabis/parson)                           | MIT                  |C/C++|  2  | JSON parser and serializer
|  [minilibs](https://github.com/ccxvii/minilibs)                       | **public domain**    |  C  |  2  | two-file regex (also binary tree, etc)

#profiling
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [Remotery](https://github.com/Celtoys/Remotery)                      | Apache 2.0           |C/C++|  2  | CPU/GPU profiler Win/Mac/Linux, using web browser for viewer
|  [MicroProfile](https://bitbucket.org/jonasmeyer/microprofile)        | **unlicense**        | C++ | 2-4 | CPU (and GPU?) profiler, 1-3 header files, uses miniz internally

#scripting
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [LIL](http://runtimeterror.com/tech/lil/)                            | zlib                 |C/C++|  2  | interpreter for a Tcl-like scripting language
|  [lualite](https://github.com/janezz55/lualite/)                      | MIT                  | C++ |**1**| generate lua bindings in C++
|  [Picol](https://chiselapp.com/user/dbohdan/repository/picol/)        | BSD                  |C/C++|**1**| interpreter for a Tcl-like scripting language

#strings
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|**[DG_misc.h](https://github.com/DanielGibson/Snippets/)**             | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| Daniel Gibson's stb.h-esque cross-platform helpers: path/file, strings         
|**[utf8](https://github.com/sheredom/utf8.h)**                         | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| utf8 string library
|**[strpool.h](https://github.com/mattiasgustavsson/libs)**             | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| string interning
|  [dfa](http://bjoern.hoehrmann.de/utf-8/decoder/dfa/)                 | MIT                  |C/C++|  2  | fast utf8 decoder (need a header file)
|**[gb_string.h](https://github.com/gingerBill/gb)**                    | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| dynamic strings

#tests
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [utest](https://github.com/evolutional/utest)                        | MIT                  |C/C++|**1**| unit testing
|  [catch](https://github.com/philsquared/Catch)                        | Boost                | C++ |**1**| unit testing
|  [doctest](https://github.com/onqtam/doctest)                         | MIT                  | C++ |**1**| unit testing
|  [SPUT](http://www.lingua-systems.com/unit-testing/)                  | BSD                  |C/C++|**1**| unit testing
|  [pempek_assert.cpp](https://github.com/gpakosz/Assert)               | **WTFPLv2**          | C++ |  2  | flexible assertions
|  [minctest](https://github.com/codeplea/minctest)                     | zlib                 |  C  |**1**| unit testing
|  [greatest](https://github.com/silentbicycle/greatest)                | iSC                  |  C  |**1**| unit testing
|  [µnit](https://github.com/nemequ/munit)                             | MIT                  |  C  |**1**| unit testing

#user interface
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [dear imgui](https://github.com/ocornut/imgui)                       | MIT                  | C++ |  9  | an immediate-mode GUI formerly named "ImGui"; [3rd-party C wrapper](https://github.com/Extrawurst/cimgui)
|  [nuklear](https://github.com/vurtun/nuklear)                         | **public domain**    |C/C++|**1**| minimal GUI toolkit
|  [noc_file_dialog.h](https://github.com/guillaumechereau/noc)         | MIT                  |C/C++|  1  | file open/save dialogs (Linux/OSX/Windows)
|  [tinyfiledialogs](https://sourceforge.net/projects/tinyfiledialogs/) | ZLIB                 |C/C++|  2  | modal dialogs inc. file open/save (Linux/OSX/Windows)

#video
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [jo_mpeg](http://www.jonolick.com/home/mpeg-video-writer)            | **public domain**    | C++ |**1**| mpeg file writer

#miscellaneous
| library                                                               | license              | API |files| description
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- |:--------------------:|:---:|:---:| -----------
|  [MakeID.h](http://www.humus.name/3D/MakeID.h)                        | **public domain**    | C++ |**1**| allocate/deallocate small integer IDs efficiently
|  [loguru](https://github.com/emilk/loguru)                            | **public domain**    | C++ |**1**| flexible logging
|  [tinyformat](https://github.com/c42f/tinyformat)                     | Boost                | C++ |**1**| typesafe printf
|  [dbgtools](https://github.com/wc-duck/dbgtools)                      | zlib                 |C/C++|  2  | cross-platform debug util libraries
|  [stmr](https://github.com/wooorm/stmr.c)                             | MIT                  |  C  |  2  | extract English word stems
|  [levenshtein](https://github.com/wooorm/levenshtein.c)               | MIT                  |  C  |  2  | compute edit distance between two strings