abseil-cpp README

Abseil - C++ Common Libraries

The repository contains the Abseil C++ library code. Abseil is an open-source collection of C++ code (compliant to C++17) designed to augment the C++ standard library.

About Abseil
Quickstart
Building Abseil
Support
Codemap
Releases
License
Links

About Abseil

Abseil is an open-source collection of C++ library code designed to augment the C++ standard library. The Abseil library code is collected from Google's own C++ code base, has been extensively tested and used in production, and is the same code we depend on in our daily coding lives.

In some cases, Abseil provides pieces missing from the C++ standard; in others, Abseil provides alternatives to the standard for special needs we've found through usage in the Google code base. We denote those cases clearly within the library code we provide you.

Abseil is not meant to be a competitor to the standard library; we've just found that many of these utilities serve a purpose within our code base, and we now want to provide those resources to the C++ community as a whole.

Quickstart

If you want to just get started, make sure you at least run through the Abseil Quickstart. The Quickstart contains information about setting up your development environment, downloading the Abseil code, running tests, and getting a simple binary working.

Building Abseil

Bazel and CMake are the official build systems for Abseil. See the quickstart for more information on building Abseil using the Bazel build system. If you require CMake support, please check the CMake build instructions and CMake Quickstart.

Support

Abseil follows Google's Foundational C++ Support Policy. See this table for a list of currently supported versions compilers, platforms, and build tools.

Codemap

Abseil contains the following C++ library components:

base
The base library contains initialization code and other code which all other Abseil code depends on. Code within base may not depend on any other code (other than the C++ standard library).
algorithm
The algorithm library contains additions to the C++ <algorithm> library and container-based versions of such algorithms.
cleanup
The cleanup library contains the control-flow-construct-like type absl::Cleanup which is used for executing a callback on scope exit.
container
The container library contains additional STL-style containers, including Abseil's unordered "Swiss table" containers.
crc The crc library contains code for computing error-detecting cyclic redundancy checks on data.
debugging
The debugging library contains code useful for enabling leak checks, and stacktrace and symbolization utilities.
flags
The flags library contains code for handling command line flags for libraries and binaries built with Abseil.
hash
The hash library contains the hashing framework and default hash functor implementations for hashable types in Abseil.
log
The log library contains LOG and CHECK macros and facilities for writing logged messages out to disk, stderr, or user-extensible destinations.
memory
The memory library contains memory management facilities that augment C++'s <memory> library.
meta
The meta library contains type checks similar to those available in the C++ <type_traits> library.
numeric
The numeric library contains 128-bit integer types as well as implementations of C++20's bitwise math functions.
profiling
The profiling library contains utility code for profiling C++ entities. It is currently a private dependency of other Abseil libraries.
random
The random library contains functions for generating pseudorandom values.
status
The status library contains abstractions for error handling, specifically absl::Status and absl::StatusOr<T>.
strings
The strings library contains a variety of strings routines and utilities.
synchronization
The synchronization library contains concurrency primitives (Abseil's absl::Mutex class, an alternative to std::mutex) and a variety of synchronization abstractions.
time
The time library contains abstractions for computing with absolute points in time, durations of time, and formatting and parsing time within time zones.
types
The types library contains non-container utility types.
utility
The utility library contains utility and helper code.

Releases

Abseil recommends users "live-at-head" (update to the latest commit from the master branch as often as possible). However, we realize this philosophy doesn't work for every project, so we also provide Long Term Support Releases to which we backport fixes for severe bugs. See our release management document for more details.

License

The Abseil C++ library is licensed under the terms of the Apache license. See LICENSE for more information.

Links

For more information about Abseil:

Consult our Abseil Introduction
Read Why Adopt Abseil to understand our design philosophy.
Peruse our Abseil Compatibility Guarantees to understand both what we promise to you, and what we expect of you in return.

18.2K ·GitHub

Abseil-cpp

What is this?

Abseil is Google's open-source collection of C++ library code that augments the C++ standard library. It's extracted from Google's internal codebase and includes things like better containers, string utilities, time handling, and synchronization primitives.

Is it a framework, or a set of independent libraries I pick and choose from?

It's a collection of independent library components (base, container, strings, time, synchronization, etc.) you link individually, not a framework that dictates your architecture.

How do I add it to a project?

Use Bazel or CMake, the two officially supported build systems, and follow the Abseil Quickstart for setting up your dev environment and building a simple binary.

Do I need a C++17 compiler at least?

Yes, Abseil requires a compiler compliant with C++17.

Does Abseil follow normal semantic versioning with stable release branches?

No. Abseil recommends 'live-at-head', continuously updating to the latest master commit; it does offer Long Term Support Releases with backported fixes for those who can't do that.

Is Abseil meant to replace the C++ standard library?

No. Abseil explicitly says it is not a competitor to the standard library — it fills gaps and offers alternatives for special needs found in Google's codebase.

What's absl::Mutex, and why would I use it over std::mutex?

It's Abseil's concurrency primitive from the synchronization library, offered as an alternative to std::mutex along with other synchronization abstractions used in Google's production code.

Does Abseil provide its own error-handling type instead of exceptions?

Yes, the status library provides absl::Status and absl::StatusOr as abstractions for error handling.

What are the Swiss table containers?

They're Abseil's unordered, high-performance STL-style containers, part of the container library alongside other additional container types.

What are similar projects?

mediapipe, googletest, onnxruntime, fmt, simdjson, SFML, sqlitebrowser, incubator-weex

Which topics is it in?

apache, c-plus-plus, google, sqlite, cpp, sdk, c++, utility, performance, framework, library, cross-platform

Creator: abseil
Size: 22.9 MB
Stars: 18.2K
Updated: CommitOct 16 Release20260817.0Aug 18
Age: 9y
Commits · 90 Days