Current development documentation | Source snapshot: 2026-07-29

MobileGL is an open-source desktop OpenGL implementation and translation layer. It exposes desktop OpenGL/EGL entry points, tracks GL and EGL state, translates shaders and resources, and executes them through an OpenGL ES or Vulkan backend.

This documentation follows the MobileGL-cpp development tree. It describes a build-from-source project, not a stable release: the current core version is 26.7.0-dev, the short-term API target is OpenGL 3.3 Core, and compatibility is still being validated.

Start here

Goal	Page
Build the library or understand supported hosts	Getting Started
Understand the call and ownership boundaries	Architecture
Choose DirectGLES or DirectVulkan	Backends
Run MobileGL on Linux, macOS, Windows, Android or iOS	Platforms
Select a backend or work around a driver issue	Configuration
Check the implementation surface and known limits	Capabilities
Run unit tests, CTS, Piglit, POST or trace replay	Validation & Diagnostics
Read the development history	Development Updates

What MobileGL contains

1. MG_Impl exposes desktop API and host-context frontends such as EGL, GLX, CGL/NSOpenGL and WGL.
2. MG_State owns context-local GL/EGL objects, bindings, validation and error semantics.
3. MG_Backend translates the state and commands to independent DirectGLES and DirectVulkan implementations.
4. MG_Util provides shader processing, format/readback conversion, logging, loaders and self-tests.
5. Tools and Android integration provide driver POST reports, trace replay, Piglit and VK-GL-CTS harnesses.

The normal flow is application -> host frontend -> MG_State -> selected backend -> GLES/Vulkan driver. See Architecture for the detailed lifecycle.

Project status

The project is still a development build. It includes Windows WGL, macOS CGL/NSOpenGL and Metal-surface paths, iOS build support, persistent mapping, compute and indirect draws, broad format/readback coverage, driver POST checks, Android Piglit/CTS runners, and extensive Vulkan resource lifetime handling.

Those features do not imply complete OpenGL 3.3 conformance on every driver. Use the validation tools and the backend-specific notes before treating a result as portable.

License

MobileGL is distributed under the GNU LGPL v3.0. Bundled third-party components retain their upstream licenses.