# mosra/magnum

Lightweight and modular C++11 graphics middleware for games and data visualization

Repository: https://github.com/mosra/magnum
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/magnum
Homepage: https://magnum.graphics/
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: c-plus-plus-11, opengl, webgl, emscripten, ios, android, graphics-engine, game-engine, c-plus-plus, gamedev, cmake, glfw, sdl, magnum, webassembly, vulkan, 3d, game, graphics, spir-v
Last push: 2026-08-23T10:24:48+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 67/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5736, "days_push": 10, "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 5194, forks 466 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:11.997842+00:00)

## What it is
Magnum is a lightweight and modular C++11/C++14 graphics middleware library providing a slim wrapper over OpenGL, OpenGL ES, WebGL and Vulkan APIs, plus a vector math library, platform abstraction, shaders, asset importers, and a UI library. It is designed for games and data visualization with a modular, plugin-based architecture that works across desktop, mobile, and web platforms.

## Use cases
- build a cross-platform 3D graphics application in C++
- render OpenGL or Vulkan scenes on desktop, mobile, and web via WebAssembly
- create a game or interactive visualization with a lightweight engine
- load glTF, OBJ, PNG, JPEG and other asset formats in a graphics app
- write portable vector math and scene graph code
- prototype shaders and rendering techniques quickly
- embed a UI library in an OpenGL application
- deploy graphics code to the browser with Emscripten

## When to choose
- you need a small, modular C++ graphics abstraction over OpenGL/Vulkan/WebGL
- you want one codebase targeting Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and the web
- you prefer flexibility and opt-in modules over a monolithic engine
- you need commercial-friendly permissive licensing (MIT/Expat)
- you want clean, well-tested code with extensive documentation

## When to avoid
- you want a full-featured out-of-the-box game engine with editor and tooling like Unity or Unreal
- you need a high-level scripting-first engine rather than a C++ library
- your project requires built-in physics, networking, or animation authoring tools
- you prefer engines with large asset store ecosystems

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: graphics, game-engine, ui-components, plugin-system, math, audio-processing, image-processing, simulation
- domain: graphics, web-development, cross-platform, data-visualization
- platform: windows, wasm, cross-platform, cpp
- tags: opengl, vulkan, webgl, graphics-middleware, cmake, gamedev, 3d, emscripten, scene-graph, asset-importers, game-development, linux, macos, ios, android

## Member repositories
- mosra/magnum (main) score 67

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:11.997842+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 2026-08-29T18:01:44.214109+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/mosra/magnum (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:11.997842+00:00, sha b8b78c349445)
  - homepage: https://magnum.graphics/ (fetched 2026-08-29T08:55:42.612201+00:00, sha e1c6ca92039c)
  - site_page: https://magnum.graphics/features (fetched 2026-08-29T08:55:42.614866+00:00, sha 6d96b994e164)
  - site_page: https://magnum.graphics/features/extras (fetched 2026-08-29T08:55:42.616942+00:00, sha b2165b8f025a)
  - site_page: https://magnum.graphics/features/extensions (fetched 2026-08-29T08:55:42.618883+00:00, sha 514f66f37739)
  - site_page: https://magnum.graphics/features/community (fetched 2026-08-29T08:55:42.620552+00:00, sha 00a6ac3596cb)
  - site_page: https://doc.magnum.graphics/magnum/getting-started.html (fetched 2026-08-29T08:55:42.624250+00:00, sha 3f17aa3f6986)
  - site_page: https://magnum.graphics/about (fetched 2026-08-29T08:55:42.626344+00:00, sha c82e458edcdc)
  - site_page: https://doc.magnum.graphics/ (fetched 2026-08-29T08:55:42.622551+00:00, sha 44136fa355b3)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.