# libsdl-org/SDL

Simple DirectMedia Layer

Repository: https://github.com/libsdl-org/SDL
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/sdl
Homepage: https://libsdl.org
Language: C
License: Zlib
License Family: permissive
Topics: sdl2, sdl3, sdl
Last push: 2026-08-26T22:25:18+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 98/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 96, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2056, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 30, "gap_med": 23.0, "n_releases_24m": 35}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 16425, forks 2937 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:16.303791+00:00)

## What it is
Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) is a cross-platform C library providing low-level access to audio, keyboard, mouse, joystick, and graphics hardware via OpenGL and Direct3D. It is widely used to build games, emulators, and multimedia software across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.

## Use cases
- write cross-platform games in C or C++
- build an emulator with audio and input support
- access joystick and gamepad input portably
- render graphics via OpenGL or Direct3D with a portable layer
- play back audio and video in a multimedia application
- port a desktop game to mobile platforms

## When to choose
- you need portable low-level access to audio, input, and graphics across desktop and mobile platforms
- you are writing a game, emulator, or media player in C/C++ and want a proven, permissively licensed foundation

## When to avoid
- you want a full high-level game engine with built-in physics, scene management, or asset pipelines
- you are building a web-only application where browser APIs suffice

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: graphics, audio-processing, game-engine, gui
- domain: cross-platform, graphics
- platform: cross-platform, windows, cpp, c
- tags: multimedia, opengl, direct3d, emulators, hardware-abstraction, input, game-development, macos, linux, ios, android

## Member repositories
- libsdl-org/SDL (main) score 98

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:16.303791+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 2026-08-29T17:05:07.021386+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/libsdl-org/SDL (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:16.303791+00:00, sha 41ba193be928)
  - homepage: https://libsdl.org (fetched 2026-08-29T08:02:38.074069+00:00, sha 8b0f3c856c01)
  - site_page: https://libsdl.org/index.php (fetched 2026-08-29T08:02:38.083031+00:00, sha 70ab0b885c14)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.