# moderngl/moderngl

Modern OpenGL binding for Python

Repository: https://github.com/moderngl/moderngl
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/moderngl
Homepage: https://moderngl.readthedocs.io/
Language: Python
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: opengl, python, modern-opengl-functions, moderngl, pyopengl, graphical-applications, pypi, rtdocs
Last push: 2026-07-11T18:55:59+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 64/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 92, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3835, "days_push": 53, "days_rel": 685, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2321, forks 236 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:37.107311+00:00)

## What it is
ModernGL is a Python wrapper over OpenGL Core that simplifies creating high-performance graphics applications such as scientific simulations, games, and user interfaces. It offers a Pythonic, easy-to-learn API that is simpler and faster than PyOpenGL, and can render without a window.

## Use cases
- render modern OpenGL scenes from Python
- build GPU-accelerated scientific simulations
- create games or graphical user interfaces in Python
- render graphics headlessly without a window
- upload numpy arrays or Pillow images as GPU textures
- write GLSL shaders with a simpler API than PyOpenGL

## When to choose
- you want a Pythonic, low-boilerplate alternative to PyOpenGL
- you need high-performance GPU rendering with less code
- you want headless rendering for offscreen or server-side graphics
- you are doing scientific visualization or simulations on the GPU

## When to avoid
- you need the full legacy OpenGL API surface rather than OpenGL Core
- you need a complete windowing or game engine solution (use moderngl-window or a game engine instead)
- your project is not Python-based

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: graphics, simulation
- domain: graphics, data-visualization, cross-platform
- platform: python, cross-platform
- tags: opengl, glsl, gpu-rendering, pyopengl-alternative, headless-rendering, shaders, game-development, gpu

## Member repositories
- moderngl/moderngl (main) score 64

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:37.107311+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 2026-08-30T02:38:47.511869+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/moderngl/moderngl (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:37.107311+00:00, sha 3bf5767f6c94)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.