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stb Libraries

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Sean Barrett (nothings)

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Description

stb is Sean Barrett's collection of single-file public domain or MIT C/C++ headers on GitHub at nothings/stb. Each library activates via one STB_*_IMPLEMENTATION macro in a translation unit, avoiding separate link steps.

Graphics headers include stb_image and stb_image_write for bitmap IO, stb_truetype for font rasterization, stb_image_resize2 for filtering, stb_dxt for block compression, and stb_voxel_render for block worlds. Utility headers cover dynamic arrays, hashing, and sprintf helpers.

The model favors drop-in prototyping for tools and engines where minimal dependencies matter more than enterprise support contracts. Security fixes flow through GitHub issues per project guidance.

stb appears inside many indie engines and NVIDIA samples such as Donut that need lightweight texture loading.

Widely regarded in game and graphics programming as the default lightweight choice for image IO and font baking in C++.