OpenGL

OpenGL
	A diagram of how video games on Linux outsource real-time rendering calculations to a GPU using OpenGL.
Original author(s)	Silicon Graphics
Developer(s)	Khronos Group; (formerly ARB)
Initial release	June 30, 1992; 32 years ago
Stable release	4.6 / 31 July 2017; 7 years ago
Written in	C
Successor	Vulkan
Type	3D graphics API
License	Open source license for use of the Sample Implementation (SI): This is a Free Software License B closely modeled on BSD, X, and Mozilla licenses.; Trademark license for new licensees who want to use the OpenGL trademark and logo and claim conformance.;
Website	opengl.org

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library^[4]) is a cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics. The API is typically used to interact with a graphics processing unit (GPU), to achieve hardware-accelerated rendering.

Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI) began developing OpenGL in 1991 and released it on June 30, 1992.^[5]^[6] It is used for a variety of applications, including computer-aided design (CAD), video games, scientific visualization, virtual reality, and flight simulation. Since 2006, OpenGL has been managed by the non-profit technology consortium Khronos Group.^[7]

^ "Khronos Releases OpenGL 4.6 with SPIR-V Support".
^ Lextrait, Vincent (January 2010). "The Programming Languages Beacon, v10.0". Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
^ "Products: Software: OpenGL: Licensing and Logos". SGI. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
^ Cite error: The named reference glspec40core was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "SGI – OpenGL Overview". Archived from the original on October 31, 2004. Retrieved February 16, 2007.
^ Peddie, Jon (July 2012). "Who's the Fairest of Them All?". Computer Graphics World. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
^ "OpenGL ARB to Pass Control of OpenGL Specification to Khronos Group". The Khronos Group. July 31, 2006. Retrieved March 18, 2021.