# OpenPrinting/cups

OpenPrinting CUPS Sources

Repository: https://github.com/OpenPrinting/cups
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/openprinting-cups
Homepage: https://openprinting.github.io/cups
Language: C
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: ipp, printing, linux, bsd
Last push: 2026-08-26T01:40:47+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 89/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 69, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2190, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 128, "gap_med": 41.0, "n_releases_24m": 9}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1730, forks 313 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:28.621070+00:00)

## What it is
OpenPrinting CUPS is the standards-based, open source printing system for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems, supporting AirPrint, IPP Everywhere, and legacy PPD-based printers. It provides System V and Berkeley command-line interfaces, a web-based administration interface, a C API, and print filters, drivers, and backends.

## Use cases
- set up a print server on linux
- print to an AirPrint or IPP Everywhere printer from a unix system
- manage printer queues and print jobs via a web interface
- add a USB printer to a linux machine
- integrate printing into an application via a C API
- replace legacy lpr/lp printing infrastructure

## When to choose
- you need a standards-based IPP print server on Linux or BSD
- you want driverless printing to modern network printers
- you need a mature, widely supported printing system with CLI and web administration

## When to avoid
- you only need printing on macOS or iOS, where Apple maintains its own CUPS fork
- you need a graphical print management tool rather than a system service
- you are not working with printing at all

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: http-server, cli, sdk
- domain: operating-systems, developer-tools, hardware
- platform: bsd, cli
- tags: printing, ipp, print-server, cups, print-drivers, airprint, linux, macos, web-server

## Member repositories
- OpenPrinting/cups (main) score 89

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:28.621070+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 2026-08-30T03:31:44.607741+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/OpenPrinting/cups (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:28.621070+00:00, sha d20f477bb8ea)
  - homepage: https://openprinting.github.io/cups (fetched 2026-08-29T11:08:32.655533+00:00, sha 71f5abbc9062)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.