# thestk/rtaudio

A set of C++ classes that provide a common API for realtime audio input/output across Linux (native ALSA, JACK, PulseAudio and OSS), Macintosh OS X (CoreAudio and JACK), and Windows (DirectSound, ASIO, and WASAPI) operating systems.

Repository: https://github.com/thestk/rtaudio
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/rtaudio
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2026-08-18T13:15:38+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 67/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4710, "days_push": 15, "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 1761, forks 359 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:32.711805+00:00)

## What it is
RtAudio is a set of C++ classes providing a common API for realtime audio input and output across Linux, macOS, and Windows. It abstracts platform-specific audio backends (ALSA, JACK, PulseAudio, OSS, CoreAudio, DirectSound, ASIO, WASAPI) behind a single header and source file.

## Use cases
- play and record audio in a cross-platform C++ application
- enumerate audio devices and their capabilities
- build a realtime audio synthesizer or effects processor
- capture microphone input with low latency
- playback audio streams through multiple backend APIs
- write audio software that works on Linux, macOS, and Windows without per-platform audio code

## When to choose
- you need realtime audio I/O in C++ with one simple API across all major desktop platforms
- you want a lightweight single-file library that is easy to embed in a project
- you need device enumeration, format conversion, and multi-API support

## When to avoid
- you need high-level audio features like mixing, effects, or codecs
- you are working in a language other than C or C++ without bindings
- you need networked or distributed audio rather than local device I/O

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: audio-processing, sdk
- domain: cross-platform, developer-tools
- platform: windows, cpp, cross-platform
- tags: realtime-audio, alsa, jack, coreaudio, asio, wasapi, directsound, pulseaudio, audio-streams, audio, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- thestk/rtaudio (main) score 67

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:32.711805+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 2026-08-30T03:27:12.885369+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/thestk/rtaudio (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:32.711805+00:00, sha 262c1d3bced8)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.