this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2025
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Programming

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What is the difference between an API, a Library, a Package, and a Framework? (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 5 days ago by [email protected] to c/programming
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I have some familiarity with C++, and concepts like compiling and linking static and dynamic libraries, which is what I understand as collections of code that simplify doing certain things.

But then I get confused in certain cases, for example, why is OpenGL considered an API? Why is it necessary to use other libraries like GLAD, freeGLUT or GLFW to interface with OpenGL?

And then other languages have this thing called package managers, like pip, node, cargo, and vcpkg for c/c++, where you install these packages that get used like libraries? What's the difference?

Finally the ones I understand the least of are frameworks. I keep hearing the concept of frameworks like Angular for js and a lot of stuff that's too alien for me because I'm still unfamiliar with web development.

So for example, I'm using the raylib library for a small game project I have. I link the .lib or .dll file to my executable file so I know I'm unambiguously using a library. How come there's also Cocos2dx which is a framework? What's the distinction?

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago

Opengl is a weird edge case because the way it links into c programs is cursed. GLAD GLUT and GLFW just make using opengl itself easier by doing all of the library loading automatically. Because there are so many versions of opengl you have to load the specific one you want at runtime, alongside all the separate extension libraries that may or may not be in different binaries, directories, etc.

OpenGL is the exception and not the rule in the normal library - api - program paradigm.