libvips
libvips is a free, open-source image-processing library built for demand-driven, horizontally threaded work with low memory use.
What libvips is
libvips is a free, open-source image-processing library built for demand-driven, horizontally threaded work with low memory use. It includes around 300 operations, spanning arithmetic, histograms, convolution, morphology, frequency filtering, colour, resampling and statistics. Supported image formats include JPEG, JPEG 2000, JPEG XL, TIFF, PNG, WebP, HEIC, AVIF, FITS, Matlab, OpenEXR, PDF, SVG, GIF, DeepZoom and OpenSlide. Developers can use its C and C++ interfaces or command-line tools, with bindings for languages including Ruby, Python, PHP, .NET, Go, Lua, Crystal, Elixir, Java and Nim. Packages are available for most Unix-like systems, and it can also be installed on macOS and Windows. Windows downloads include both a web-focused binary with a limited reader set and a larger binary with all supported readers; the project advises care before public deployment of the latter. Optional dependencies and build settings can be chosen when compiling from source. The library is suited to large images, many CPUs, colour work, scientific analysis and general research and development. Its license is LGPL-2.1-or-later.
Good
- Around 300 image-processing operations.
- Supports a broad range of image formats.
- Bindings cover many programming languages.
- Free and licensed under LGPL-2.1-or-later.
Watch out
- No web application is listed.
- Larger Windows binary needs care before public deployment.
- Build options may require configuring optional dependencies.
Who it suits
libvips suits developers and researchers processing large images, doing colour or scientific work, or building image workflows. Its language bindings and command-line interface provide several ways to use it.
Verdict
libvips offers a broad set of image operations and format support for software-oriented workflows. Consider its build configuration and Windows reader choices when selecting how to deploy it.
Plans and prices
From libvips's own pricing page, checked 4 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| libvips | Free | LGPL-2.1-or-later |
The facts
Each one read from libvips's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Bindings
- It provides C, C++ and command-line interfaces, plus bindings for Ruby, Python, PHP, .NET, Go, Lua, Crystal, Elixir, Java and Nim.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Build configuration
- Optional dependencies and build options can be enabled or disabled when building libvips from source.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Current library version
- The current API documentation identifies the library version as 8.18.checked 4 Oct 2026
- GUI
- The official libvips GUI is nip4, which the site describes as a combination of a spreadsheet and a photo editor.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Image formats
- It supports formats including JPEG, JPEG 2000, JPEG XL, TIFF, PNG, WebP, HEIC, AVIF, FITS, Matlab, OpenEXR, PDF, SVG, GIF, DeepZoom and OpenSlide.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The site lists Mastodon, sharp, imgproxy, wsrv.nl, bimg, Ruby on Rails, CarrierWave and MediaWiki as users of libvips as an image processing engine.checked 4 Oct 2026
- License
- libvips is licensed under LGPL-2.1-or-later.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Operations
- It has around 300 operations for tasks including arithmetic, histograms, convolution, morphology, frequency filtering, colour, resampling and statistics.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- libvips is a demand-driven, horizontally threaded image processing library that runs quickly and uses little memory.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Support
- The official site links to documentation, issues and a wiki.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Supported systems
- The site says packages are available for most Unix-like systems and that libvips can be installed on macOS and Windows.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Use cases
- The overview describes libvips as suited to large images, many CPUs, colour work, scientific analysis and general research and development.checked 4 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Windows downloads
- Windows downloads include a web-focused binary with a relatively secure subset of file format readers and a larger binary with all supported readers, for which the site advises care before public deployment.checked 4 Oct 2026
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