waffle ☆

« Back to VersTracker

Description:
C library for selecting an OpenGL API and window system at runtime

Type: Formula | Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Developer tools

Tags: opengl graphics linux wayland x11 c-library

Install: brew install waffle

About:
Waffle is a lightweight C library that decouples OpenGL application development from the underlying window system and OpenGL API. It allows applications to select between different APIs like OpenGL, OpenGL ES, and GLX at runtime. This enables portable rendering code that can run on diverse platforms including Linux, Android, and macOS without being tied to a specific graphics stack.

Key Features:

Runtime selection of OpenGL APIs (OpenGL, OpenGL ES, GL) and window systems (X11, Wayland, GBM)
Minimal, lightweight C library with a simple, stable API
Enables portable graphics code across Linux, Android, macOS, and Windows
Designed for testing and embedded in Mesa and other graphics projects

Use Cases:

Developing portable OpenGL applications that work across different display servers
Testing graphics drivers and OpenGL implementations across multiple APIs
Building embedded systems graphics applications with flexible backend selection

Alternatives:

GLFW – GLFW is a higher-level library focused on windowing/input, while Waffle is lower-level and focused on API/context selection for testing and portability
SDL2 – SDL2 provides a full multimedia/game framework; Waffle is a specialized tool for OpenGL context management with minimal overhead

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 11, 2025 8:46pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	d459353b