whatisgithub

Popular C++ repositories on GitHub, each answered in plain English for non-coders: what it is, its tech stack, and how to run it.

• tdlib/tdTDLib is a cross-platform C++ library that handles all the low-level Telegram networking, encryption, and loca
• realsenseai/librealsenseLibRealSense is the official open-source SDK for Intel RealSense depth cameras, giving your code access to liv
• progschj/threadpoolA tiny C++11 library that keeps a pool of worker threads ready so you can hand off background tasks and get re
• project-chip/connectedhomeipThe official open-source SDK for Matter, the smart home standard that lets devices from any manufacturer work
• sebastianstarke/ai4animationA multi-year research project from the University of Edinburgh that uses neural networks trained on motion cap
• applenob/cpp_primer_practiceStudy notes and exercise answers for all 19 chapters of C++ Primer (5th edition), written in Chinese — a compa
• vowpalwabbit/vowpal_wabbitVowpal Wabbit is a fast online machine learning library that trains models one example at a time without loadi
• tencent/libcolibco is Tencent's C/C++ coroutine library powering WeChat's backend since 2013, letting servers handle millio
• ewenwan/mvisionMVision is a Chinese-language study guide covering machine vision and robotics. It collects tutorials, code li
• uz-slamlab/orb_slam3A C++ library for real-time camera tracking and 3D map building using only a camera or a camera plus motion se
• oatpp/oatppA zero-dependency C++ framework for building web servers and APIs, with HTTP endpoints, WebSockets, ORM databa
• avast/retdecRetDec is an open-source decompiler from Avast that converts compiled program binaries back into readable C co
• tencent/hippyHippy is an open-source framework by Tencent that lets web developers write a single React or Vue codebase and
• neutralinojs/neutralinojsA lightweight framework for building cross-platform desktop apps using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but using th
• sass/node-sassNode-sass was a library for compiling Sass stylesheets to CSS inside Node.js projects, but it has reached end
• wangyu-/udp2rawA Linux networking tool that disguises UDP traffic as fake TCP, ICMP, or ordinary UDP to bypass firewalls that
• juce-framework/juceA C++ framework for building audio plug-ins and desktop apps that run on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android
• jomjol/ai-on-the-edge-deviceFirmware for a cheap ESP32-CAM board that photographs your home utility meters, uses on-device AI to read the
• ideawu/ssdbSSDB is a disk-based database that works like Redis but stores data on disk instead of RAM, supporting strings
• facebook/proxygenProxygen is Facebook's open-source C++ library for building high-performance HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3 serv
• brndnmtthws/conkyConky is a lightweight desktop system monitor for Linux and macOS that draws live CPU, memory, disk, and netwo
• love2d/loveA free, open-source framework for making 2D games with Lua — a simple scripting language — that runs on Window
• mooophy/cpp-primerA complete set of worked exercise solutions for the C++ Primer textbook (5th edition), organized chapter by ch
• std-microblock/chromaticA C++ injection framework for Chromium-based desktop apps that hooks into the V8 engine to enable plugin and t
• daijro/camoufoxA modified Firefox browser for automated web scraping and AI agents that disguises bot traffic as a real human
• optiscaler/optiscalerA free PC gaming tool that intercepts a game's upscaling calls and redirects them to a different technology, l
• fex-emu/fexFEX is a translation layer that lets ARM64 Linux devices run x86 and x86-64 programs natively, including Windo
• gaoxiang12/slambookExample C++ code organized by chapter for a Chinese textbook on Visual SLAM — the technique robots and self-dr
• fastled/fastledA C++ library for controlling individually addressable LED strips on microcontrollers — set each LED's color i
• google/glogglog was Google's C++ logging library, but it is no longer maintained and will be archived on 2025-06-30; the
• libcpr/cprA C++ library that makes HTTP requests simple — GET, POST, file uploads — with a clean one-line function call
• endless-sky/endless-skyFree open-source space sandbox game where you captain a ship, earn money by trading or taking missions, and ex
• google/dracoA Google library for compressing 3D model files — meshes and point clouds — so they download faster and use le
• paddlepaddle/paddle-litePaddle Lite is Baidu's AI inference engine that runs optimized deep learning models on phones, embedded device
• pixaranimationstudios/openusdOpenUSD is Pixar's open-source 3D scene description system that lets film, VFX, and games software share geome
• versatica/mediasoupA server-side media routing library (SFU) that handles forwarding audio and video streams in real-time group c
• rime/weaselWeasel is the Windows version of the Rime open-source Chinese input method engine, supporting Pinyin, Zhuyin,
• liuliu/ccvA portable C library for computer vision that detects faces, pedestrians, text regions, and objects in images
• azahar-emu/azaharAzahar is an open-source Nintendo 3DS emulator for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android, born from the merger of t
• relativty/relativtyAn open-source DIY VR headset that connects to SteamVR and requires soldering, 3D printing, and electronics as
• tzapu/wifimanagerAn Arduino library for ESP8266 and ESP32 boards that handles WiFi setup through a browser-based portal. When t
• bblanchon/arduinojsonArduinoJson is a lightweight C++ JSON library for microcontrollers like Arduino, ESP32, and Teensy — it reads
• lballabio/quantlibQuantLib is a C++ library for quantitative finance that provides mathematical models for pricing derivatives,
• wxwidgets/wxwidgetswxWidgets is a C++ library that lets you build desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux from a single codeba
• alex313031/thoriumThorium is a faster, more private build of the Chromium browser with CPU-specific optimizations, restored code
• tonychen56/wechatrobotWeChatRobot is an archived C++ project that hooked into the WeChat desktop app on Windows to automate it and e
• tigervnc/tigervncTigerVNC is an open-source remote desktop tool that lets you view and control another computer's graphical int
• google/flutter-desktop-embeddingAn archived Google project that originally brought Flutter to Windows, macOS, and Linux desktops — now superse
• yuesong-feng/30daymakecppserverA 30-day hands-on tutorial in Chinese for building a high-performance network server in C++ on Linux, going fr
• alibaba/andfixAndroid library from Alibaba that lets developers push bug fixes to users' phones instantly without requiring
• ayoubfaouzi/al-khaserA Windows test tool for security researchers that simulates the tricks real malware uses to detect debuggers,
• google/gemma.cppA lightweight C++ program that runs Google's Gemma AI language models directly on your CPU with no GPU or clou
• feiyangqingyun/qwidgetdemoA collection of over 100 standalone Qt C++ demo projects covering custom widgets, utility tools, video playbac
• serial-studio/serial-studioA desktop app that reads data from Arduino, ESP32, and other hardware over serial, Bluetooth, or network conne
• interpretml/interpretInterpretML is a Microsoft open-source Python package for building explainable machine learning models and und
• sysown/proxysqlA high-performance intermediary that sits between your application and a MySQL database to distribute queries
• sigil-ebook/sigilA free, cross-platform desktop editor for creating and editing EPUB ebooks, with direct HTML and CSS access, a
• microsoft/directx-graphics-samplesA collection of Microsoft sample programs that each demonstrate one specific DirectX 12 graphics feature in is
• flaxengine/flaxengineA full 3D game engine with C++ core and C# scripting that targets Windows, Linux, and Mac — full source code i
• 360controller/360controllerA macOS driver that makes wired Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers work on your Mac for gaming — install a sign
• leejet/stable-diffusion.cppA dependency-free C++ tool for generating images from text prompts on your own hardware, supporting Nvidia, Ap
• ethereum-mining/ethminerEthminer is a GPU cryptocurrency miner for the Ethash proof-of-work algorithm used by Ethereum Classic and sim
• hsutter/cppfrontCppfront is an experimental compiler by Herb Sutter that translates a cleaner experimental C++ syntax called C
• ledger/ledgerA command-line accounting tool that tracks your money using plain text files and double-entry bookkeeping — no
• duilib/duilibDuilib is a free C++ library for building Windows desktop apps with fully custom visual designs, used by major
• arvidn/libtorrentA C++ library that implements the BitTorrent protocol so developers can add peer-to-peer file sharing to their
• alexandrerouma/sdrplusplusSDR++ is a lightweight, cross-platform desktop app for receiving and listening to radio signals using a softwa
• google/perfettoPerfetto is Google's open-source performance tracing toolkit built into Android and Chrome, letting developers
• jbeder/yaml-cppyaml-cpp is a C++ library for reading and writing YAML configuration files following the YAML 1.2 standard, in
• lymphatus/caesium-image-compressorA desktop app for batch-compressing JPG, PNG, and WebP images to smaller file sizes while keeping them looking
• osgeo/gdalGDAL is an open-source library that reads and writes dozens of geospatial file formats — satellite images, ele
• hkust-aerial-robotics/vins-monoA real-time system that tracks a drone or device position and movement using only one camera and a motion sens
• cgal/cgalCGAL is a large C++ library of ready-made, reliable geometry algorithms — convex hulls, triangulations, 3D boo
• plotjuggler/plotjugglerPlotJuggler is a desktop app for visualizing thousands of time series data channels at once using drag-and-dro
• librecad/librecadLibreCAD is a free, open-source desktop app for creating precise 2D technical drawings — floor plans, mechanic
• redot-engine/redot-engineA free, open-source game engine forked from Godot in 2024 that lets you build 2D and 3D games and export them
• landrop/landropA cross-platform app for sending files between devices on your local network without internet, cloud storage,
• 0xz0f/z0fcourse_reverseengineeringA free beginner-to-intermediate course teaching reverse engineering on 64-bit Windows — how to read compiled p
• alibaba/alisqlA MySQL 8.0 fork from Alibaba that adds a built-in analytics engine powered by DuckDB (about 200x faster for c
• gothenburgbitfactory/taskwarriorTaskwarrior is a command-line task manager where you type commands in a terminal to add tasks, set due dates,
• tranek/gasdocumentationA comprehensive community guide to Unreal Engine 5's GameplayAbilitySystem plugin, covering abilities, buffs,
• slackadays/clipboardA command-line clipboard manager called cb that replaces fragmented tools like xclip, letting you copy, store,
• leethomason/tinyxml2TinyXML-2 is a minimal C++ XML library consisting of just one header and one source file, making it easy to dr
• pbek/qownnotesLightweight desktop note-taking app for Windows, macOS, and Linux that stores notes as plain Markdown files on
• valhalla/valhallaValhalla is an open source routing engine that calculates driving, walking, cycling, and transit routes using
• nvidia/daliNVIDIA's GPU-accelerated data loading library that speeds up AI training by moving image, video, and audio pre
• cnr-isti-vclab/meshlabMeshLab is a free desktop application for cleaning, repairing, and converting 3D mesh files — the kind that co
• tencent/libpagTencent's library for playing After Effects animations as compact, editable PAG files inside iOS, Android, web
• ffffffff0x/1earnA large Chinese-language security knowledge base covering offensive and defensive topics — forensics, incident
• vcmi/vcmiAn open-source C++ recreation of the Heroes of Might and Magic III game engine. Lets you play the classic stra
• mlpack/mlpackmlpack is a fast, header-only C++ machine learning library with ready-made algorithms for classification, regr
• harfbuzz/harfbuzzHarfBuzz is a text shaping engine that ensures words and letters display correctly on screen, especially for c
• trapexit/mergerfsA Linux tool that combines multiple storage drives or folders into a single merged directory, so all your file
• fulu-foundation/orcaslicer-bambulabOrcaSlicer-bambulab is a modified 3D printer slicer that restores cloud printing for Bambu Lab printers, letti
• brucedevices/firmwareBruce is open-source security firmware for pocket ESP32 devices like the M5Stack Cardputer, giving authorized
• throneproj/throneDesktop app for managing proxy connections on Windows, Linux, and macOS with a graphical interface for setting
• leela-zero/leela-zeroLeela Zero is an open-source Go-playing engine modeled on DeepMind's AlphaGo Zero that learns purely from self
• mhammond/pywin32pywin32 is a Python package that gives your Python scripts direct access to Windows system features like COM a
• codepanda66/cspostgraduate-408A Chinese-language study repository for the national 408 CS graduate entrance exam, collecting past papers, le
• confettifx/the-forgeA cross-platform C++ framework for building games and graphics software that runs on Windows, Steam Deck, Andr

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