OpenGL ES

Original author(s)ARB
Developer(s)Khronos Group
Initial release28 July 2003; 21 years ago (2003-07-28)
Stable release
3.2[1] / 10 August 2015; 9 years ago (2015-08-10)
Operating systemCross-platform
PlatformCross-platform
SuccessorVulkan
TypeAPI
LicenseFree of charge, royalty or licensing
Websitewww.khronos.org/opengles

OpenGL for Embedded Systems (OpenGL ES or GLES) is a subset[2] of the OpenGL computer graphics rendering application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D and 3D computer graphics such as those used by video games, typically hardware-accelerated using a graphics processing unit (GPU). It is designed for embedded systems like smartphones, tablet computers, video game consoles and PDAs. OpenGL ES is the "most widely deployed 3D graphics API in history".[3]

The API is cross-language and multi-platform. The GLU library and the original GLUT are not available for OpenGL ES, freeglut however, supports it. OpenGL ES is managed by the non-profit technology consortium Khronos Group. Vulkan, a next-generation API from Khronos, is made for simpler high performance drivers for mobile and desktop devices.[4]

  1. ^ "Khronos Expands Scope of 3D Open Standard Ecosystem". 10 August 2015.
  2. ^ "OpenGL ES Overview - The Khronos Group Inc". The Khronos Group. 2011-07-19. Archived from the original on 2024-09-14.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference 3D-BOF-SIGGRAPH_Aug15 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Hruska, Joel (4 March 2015). "Not dead yet: AMD's Mantle powers new Vulkan API, VR efforts". ExtremeTech. Ziff Davis.