stb

single-file public domain libraries for C/C++

library	category	description
stb_image.c	graphics	image loading/decoding from disk/memory: JPG, PNG, TGA, BMP, PSD, GIF, HDR, PIC
stb_vorbis.c	audio	decode ogg vorbis files from memory to float/16-bit signed output
stb_truetype.h	graphics	parse, decode, and rasterize characters from truetype fonts
stb_image_write.h	graphics	image writing to disk
stb_textedit.h	UI	guts of a text editor for games etc implementing them from scratch
stb_dxt.h	3D graphics	Fabian "ryg" Giesen's real-time DXT compressor
stb_perlin.h	3D graphics	revised Perlin noise (3D input, 1D output)
stb_c_lexer.h	parsing	simplify writing parsers for C-like languages
stb.h	misc	helper functions for C, mostly redundant in C++; basically author's personal stuff

FAQ

What's the license?

These libraries are in the public domain (or the equivalent where that is not possible). You can do anything you want with them. You have no legal obligation to do anything else, although I appreciate attribution.

If I wrap an stb library in a new library, does the new library have to be public domain?

No.

A lot of these libraries seem redundant to existing open source libraries. Are they better somehow?

Generally they're only better in that they're easier to integrate, easier to use, and easier to release (single file; good API; no attribution requirement). They may be less featureful, slower, and/or use more memory. If you're already using an equivalent library, there's probably no good reason to switch.

Will you add more image types to stb_image.c?

If people submit them, I generally add them, but the goal of stb_image is less for applications like image viewer apps (which need to support every type of image under the sun) and more for things like games which can choose what images to use, so I may decline to add them if they're too rare or if the size of implementation vs. apparent benefit is too low.

Are there other single-file public-domain libraries out there?

Yes. I'll put a list here when people remind me what they are.

Do you have any advice on how to create my own single-file library?

Yes. https://github.com/nothings/stb/blob/master/stb_howto.txt

Why public domain?

Because more people will use it. Because it's not viral, people are not obligated to give back, so you could argue that it hurts the development of it, and then because it doesn't develop as well it's not as good, and then because it's not as good, in the long run maybe fewer people will use it. I have total respect for that opinion, but I just don't believe it myself for most software.

Why C?

Primarily, because I use C, not C++. But it does also make it easier for other people to use them from other languages.

Why not C99? stdint.h, declare-anywhere, etc.

I still use MSVC 6 (1998) as my IDE because it has better human factors for me than later versions of MSVC.