# libui

Simple and portable (but not inflexible) GUI library in C that uses the native GUI technologies of each platform it supports.

Repository: https://github.com/andlabs/libui
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/libui
Language: C
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2024-05-29T04:55:35+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4157, "days_push": 826, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- 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 10896, forks 613 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:44.610309+00:00)

## What it is
libui is a simple and portable GUI library for C that uses each platform's native GUI technologies to create native-looking interfaces. It is explicitly mid-alpha software with incomplete features and unstable APIs.

## Use cases
- build a native-looking desktop GUI app in C
- write a cross-platform GUI without wrapping webviews
- create small utility programs with native controls on Windows, macOS, and Linux
- learn how native GUI toolkits are abstracted in C

## When to choose
- you want native platform controls rather than a custom-drawn or web-based UI
- you need a small C library with minimal dependencies
- your app only needs basic controls like buttons, text fields, and windows

## When to avoid
- you need trees, clipboard, drag-and-drop, printing, or accessibility support
- you require a stable, documented API for production software
- you need OpenGL or advanced dialogs
- you want an actively maintained project with frequent releases

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: experimental
- function: gui, ui-components
- domain: cross-platform, desktop-applications, developer-tools
- platform: windows, c, cpp
- tags: native-gui, portable-gui, c-library, mid-alpha, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- andlabs/libui (main) score 23
- andlabs/ui (sdk) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:44.610309+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 2026-08-29T17:17:26.129182+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/andlabs/libui (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:44.610309+00:00, sha 70907a020240)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.