OpenGL is a cross-platform graphics API for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics, providing a standardised interface to the rendering capabilities of graphics hardware through a rasterisation pipeline with programmable vertex and fragment shader stages.
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- OpenGL defines a set of functions for submitting geometry, configuring state and invoking programmable shaders, abstracting over the underlying graphics hardware so that applications run across vendors and platforms. It uses a rasterisation pipeline with programmable vertex and fragment stages.
- Maintained by the Khronos Group, OpenGL has been a long-standing foundation for graphics applications and remains widely supported. Its lower-level successor Vulkan offers more explicit control over hardware for performance-critical use.