Sebastian Aaltonen open-sources NoGraphicsAPI: a minimal graphics API in one header file
mike64_t · x · 2026-09-06
Sebastian Aaltonen has released NoGraphicsAPI, an experimental open-source minimal graphics API built on the latest Vulkan extensions, implementing the ideas from his "No Graphics API" blog post and SIGGRAPH talk.
- Tiny footprint: the main library is just 1 header + 1 source file; the utility library adds 6 headers + 4 source files, plus three compact examples.
- Core ideas: shaders use 64-bit GPU pointers instead of buffer objects and bindings; texture/sampler descriptors live in application-owned GPU memory; synchronization describes hazards rather than resource states, stripping away most of a conventional graphics API.
- Status: the Vulkan 1.4 backend is implemented and exercised by three example apps; Metal support isn't implemented yet, but the Metal 4 design doc records the proposed mapping and open issues.
The repo is live on GitHub (166 stars) for anyone interested in where graphics APIs are heading.
Related event: Graphics Expert Aaltonen Open-Sources Minimalist NoGraphicsAPI(2 posts)→
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