# microsoft/DirectXShaderCompiler

This repo hosts the source for the DirectX Shader Compiler which is based on LLVM/Clang.

Repository: https://github.com/microsoft/DirectXShaderCompiler
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/directxshadercompiler
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: hlsl, shader-programs, directx-shader-compiler, dxil
Last push: 2026-08-26T17:57:59+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 89/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 71, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3557, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 35, "gap_med": 97, "n_releases_24m": 6}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3629, forks 897 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:12.005015+00:00)

## What it is
Microsoft's DirectX Shader Compiler (DXC), an LLVM/Clang-based compiler that translates HLSL shader programs into DXIL bytecode for DirectX and SPIR-V for Vulkan. It ships as a CLI tool (dxc.exe), shared libraries for programmatic compilation/validation, and command-line DXIL validators.

## Use cases
- compile HLSL shaders to DXIL for DirectX 12
- compile HLSL to SPIR-V for Vulkan
- validate DXIL shader bytecode before driver consumption
- disassemble and inspect compiled shader binaries
- integrate shader compilation into a game build pipeline
- experiment with new HLSL language features and shader models

## When to choose
- building DirectX 12 or Vulkan applications that need shader model 6.0+ features
- automating offline shader compilation in build pipelines
- needing programmable compiler APIs via dxcompiler.dll/so
- contributing to or extending HLSL language evolution

## When to avoid
- targeting legacy shader models below 6.0 (use FXC instead)
- needing a general-purpose C/C++ compiler (use upstream LLVM/Clang)
- working on platforms where only prebuilt DXC binaries are unavailable and building LLVM is impractical

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: compiler, developer-tools
- domain: graphics, compilers, developer-tools
- platform: windows, cross-platform, cli
- tags: hlsl, dxil, spir-v, llvm, clang, shader-compilation, directx, vulkan, gpu-drivers, game-development, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- microsoft/DirectXShaderCompiler (main) score 89

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:12.005015+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:31:54.115598+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/microsoft/DirectXShaderCompiler (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:12.005015+00:00, sha 120304e8978f)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.