# dropbox/djinni

A tool for generating cross-language type declarations and interface bindings.

Repository: https://github.com/dropbox/djinni
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/djinni
Language: C++
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Archived: true
Last push: 2020-03-26T04:02:08+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4377, "days_push": 2351, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2886, forks 483 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:28.216569+00:00)

## What it is
Djinni is a tool that generates cross-language type declarations and interface bindings from an interface description language (IDL) file, primarily connecting C++ with Java (via JNI) and Objective-C. It was developed by Dropbox to enable cross-platform C++ library code to be used from Android and iOS apps.

## Use cases
- generate Java and Objective-C bindings for a C++ library
- share C++ code between Android and iOS apps
- avoid hand-writing JNI boilerplate
- define data types once and generate C++, Java, and ObjC code
- call C++ code from Objective-C or Java transparently

## When to choose
- you maintain a cross-platform C++ core used by Android and iOS apps
- you want a single IDL to generate bindings for C++, Java, and Objective-C
- you need bidirectional calls between C++ and Java/ObjC

## When to avoid
- you need actively maintained tooling - the repo is no longer maintained by Dropbox
- you target languages beyond Java, Objective-C, or experimental Python
- you prefer modern alternatives like Djinni-derived forks or other FFI generators

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: maintenance
- function: parser, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, cross-platform, mobile-development
- platform: cpp, jvm, cli
- tags: idl, jni, objective-c, bindings-generator, cross-language, code-generation, ios, android

## Member repositories
- dropbox/djinni (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:28.216569+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 2026-08-29T18:48:18.236684+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/dropbox/djinni (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:28.216569+00:00, sha 600723033abc)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.