# paperjs/paper.js

The Swiss Army Knife of Vector Graphics Scripting – Scriptographer ported to JavaScript and the browser, using HTML5 Canvas. Created by @lehni & @puckey

Repository: https://github.com/paperjs/paper.js
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/paperjs
Homepage: http://paperjs.org
Language: JavaScript
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2024-07-23T00:58:54+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": 5686, "days_push": 772, "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 15068, forks 1258 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:09.097999+00:00)

## What it is
Paper.js is an open source vector graphics scripting library that runs on top of the HTML5 Canvas, offering a Scene Graph / Document Object Model for working with paths, bezier curves, and nested graphic items. It is a port of the Scriptographer scripting environment for Adobe Illustrator to JavaScript, usable in browsers, Node.js, and Electron.

## Use cases
- draw vector graphics on html5 canvas
- manipulate bezier curves in javascript
- create interactive drawing tools in the browser
- build a scene graph of layers and paths
- animate vector shapes on canvas
- port adobe illustrator scripts to javascript

## When to choose
- you need a clean scene graph API for vector graphics on canvas
- you want powerful bezier curve creation and manipulation
- you need mouse/touch interaction handlers for drawing tools
- you want a mature, well-documented vector graphics library

## When to avoid
- you need WebGL or 3D rendering
- you need an actively developed library with frequent updates
- you want SVG-only manipulation without canvas rendering
- you need a full design application rather than a scripting library

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: graphics, animation, ui-components
- domain: web-development, frontend, graphics
- platform: browser, cross-platform
- tags: vector-graphics, canvas, bezier-curves, scene-graph, svg, paperscript, drawing, nodejs, electron

## Member repositories
- paperjs/paper.js (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:09.097999+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 2026-08-29T17:06:45.513036+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/paperjs/paper.js (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:09.097999+00:00, sha dfd5beeec4f4)
  - homepage: http://paperjs.org (fetched 2026-08-29T08:05:00.371656+00:00, sha d7a193dbf419)
  - site_page: https://paperjs.org/about (fetched 2026-08-29T08:05:00.374389+00:00, sha 54c4ec4c6cec)
  - site_page: https://paperjs.org/features (fetched 2026-08-29T08:05:00.376479+00:00, sha 447c365e4204)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.