Single-file C/C++ public-domain/open source libraries with minimal dependencies
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Submission timeline
2007–2026One slot for every year since HN launched. Height is that year's peak points; orange marks a 100+ point or 50+ comment breakout. Select a bar to open its strongest thread.
First comments on top threads
HN comment orderI've lately found myself wondering why there isn't a C/C++ tool comparable to npm, cargo, cpanm, etc. There's more C/C++ code in the wild than most languages, but it's not easy to find, not easy to install, not easy to update (though that's a problem in the npm ecosystem, too), and not easy to integrate. A good package manager would go a long way toward modernizing the C ecosystem, I think.
Am I the only one to see this single-file lib trend as a consequence of the failure of the C++ ecosystem to produce a modern and unified package management platform? Managing dependencies in C++ is a nightmare, and I'm not even talking about the lack of actual modules inside the language itself. It's so bad that people (incl. me) tend to prefer to copy-paste libraries source code instead of setting up a dependency. A Python, Ruby, Node or Java project…
I like that last question : Why isn't SQLite's amalgamated build on this list? Come on.
The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.
- Breakout years
- 2
- Total points
- 425
- Total comments
- 174
100+ points or 50+ comments
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
Every submission
| Date | Title as submitted | By | Points | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-12-17 | Single-file C/C++ public-domain/open source libraries with minimal dependenciesFirst breakout · Best thread | brakmic | 303 | 64 |
| 2019-05-30 | Single-file public-domain/open source libraries with minimal dependencies | ausjke | 2 | 0 |
| 2020-01-20 | Single-file public-domain/open source libraries with minimal dependencies | e19293001 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020-09-17 | Single-file public-domain/open source libraries with minimal dependencies | maple3142 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020-10-26 | Single_file_libs: List of single-file C/C++ librariesHall induction · Latest 20+ point return | pmoriarty | 115 | 109 |
| 2024-11-14 | Single_file_libs: Single-file C and C++ public domain libraries | klaussilveira | 2 | 1 |