whatisgithub

What is cairo?

serhii-londar/cairo — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2018-08-18

SwiftAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · moderate

In one sentence

A Swift library that wraps Cairo, a popular C-based 2D graphics toolkit, so Swift developers can draw shapes, text, and images directly from their code.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Draws shapes and text
      Renders 2D images
      Bridges C to Swift
    Tech stack
      Swift
      Cairo
      C
    Use cases
      Custom charts and diagrams
      Generate images on the fly
      Render reports on server
    Audience
      Swift developers
      Mac app builders
      Server-side Swift
    Setup
      Install Cairo first
      macOS via Homebrew
      Ubuntu via apt
    Gotchas
      No API docs in README
      Read source to learn

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Draw custom charts or diagrams in a Mac application.

USE CASE 2

Generate dynamic images on the fly in a server-side Swift project.

USE CASE 3

Render custom vector graphics without building a graphics engine from scratch.

What is it built with?

SwiftCCairo

How does it compare?

serhii-londar/cairoaiduckman/claudeusage_latest_may2026arnabau/thermalpulse
Stars—00
LanguageSwiftSwiftSwift
Last pushed2018-08-18——
MaintenanceDormant——
Setup difficultymoderateeasymoderate
Complexity2/52/53/5
Audiencedevelopervibe coderdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

You must first install the underlying Cairo C library on your system (via Homebrew on macOS or apt on Ubuntu) before adding this Swift wrapper to your project.

The license is not specified in the README, so you would need to check the repository files to determine what you are allowed to do with this code.

So what is it?

This project is a Swift library for Cairo. Cairo is a widely used 2D graphics library that lets programs draw shapes, text, and images on a screen. By wrapping Cairo's functionality in Swift, this repo makes it possible for Swift developers to tap into those drawing capabilities directly from their code. At a high level, the library acts as a bridge. The underlying Cairo toolkit is written in C, which means it isn't naturally easy to use from Swift without some glue code in between. This project provides that glue, exposing Cairo's drawing functions in a way that feels natural to someone writing Swift. A developer installs the underlying Cairo software on their system, then brings this library into their Swift project to start calling its drawing commands. The people who would use this are Swift developers building applications that need custom graphics, things like charts, diagrams, or dynamically generated images. For example, if someone is building a Mac app or a server-side Swift tool that needs to render a custom report or draw vector shapes on the fly, this library lets them do that without leaving the Swift ecosystem or building a graphics engine from scratch. The README doesn't go into much detail beyond basic installation instructions. It covers how to install the underlying Cairo dependency on macOS (using Homebrew) and Ubuntu (using the standard package manager), but it doesn't document the library's API, provide usage examples, or explain which specific Cairo features are covered. Developers exploring this project would likely need to look at the source code to understand exactly what's available and how to use it.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I use the Swift Cairo library to draw a filled rectangle and export it as a PNG image?
Prompt 2
Show me how to set up a Swift project with the Cairo wrapper on macOS using Homebrew, and draw a simple line chart.
Prompt 3
Looking at the source code of this Swift Cairo wrapper, what are the main Cairo drawing functions available and how do I call them from Swift?
Prompt 4
How can I render text onto an image using the Cairo library in my server-side Swift application?

Frequently asked questions

What is cairo?

A Swift library that wraps Cairo, a popular C-based 2D graphics toolkit, so Swift developers can draw shapes, text, and images directly from their code.

What language is cairo written in?

Mainly Swift. The stack also includes Swift, C, Cairo.

Is cairo actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2018-08-18).

What license does cairo use?

The license is not specified in the README, so you would need to check the repository files to determine what you are allowed to do with this code.

How hard is cairo to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is cairo for?

Mainly developer.

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