vcpkg README

The project's README from github.com/microsoft/vcpkg. As one markdown file: README.md.

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vcpkg overview

vcpkg is a free and open-source C/C++ package manager maintained by Microsoft and the C++ community.

Initially launched in 2016 as a tool for assisting developers in migrating their projects to newer versions of Visual Studio, vcpkg has evolved into a cross-platform tool used by developers on Windows, macOS, and Linux. vcpkg has a large collection of open-source libraries and enterprise-ready features designed to facilitate your development process with support for any build and project systems. vcpkg is a C++ tool at heart and is written in C++ with scripts in CMake. It is designed from the ground up to address the unique pain points C/C++ developers experience.

This tool and ecosystem are constantly evolving, and we always appreciate contributions! Learn how to start contributing with our packaging tutorial and maintainer guide.

Get started

First, follow one of our quick start guides.

Whether you're using CMake, MSBuild, or any other build system, vcpkg has you covered:

You can also use any editor:

If a library you need is not present in the vcpkg registry, open an issue on the GitHub repository or contribute the package yourself.

After you've gotten vcpkg installed and working, you may wish to add tab completion to your terminal.

Use vcpkg

Create a manifest for your project's dependencies:

vcpkg new --application
vcpkg add port fmt

Or install packages through the command line:

vcpkg install fmt

Then use one of our available integrations for CMake, MSBuild or other build systems.

For a short description of all available commands, run vcpkg help. Run vcpkg help [topic] for details on a specific topic.

Key features

vcpkg offers powerful features for your package management needs:

Contribute

vcpkg is an open source project, and is thus built with your contributions. Here are some ways you can contribute:

Please refer to our maintainer guide and packaging tutorial for more details.

This project has adopted the Microsoft Open Source Code of Conduct. For more information see the Code of Conduct FAQ or email [email protected] with any additional questions or comments.

Resources

License

The code in this repository is licensed under the MIT License. The libraries provided by ports are licensed under the terms of their original authors. Where available, vcpkg places the associated license(s) in the location installed/<triplet>/share/<port>/copyright.

Security

Most ports in vcpkg build the libraries in question using the original build system preferred by the original developers of those libraries, and download source code and build tools from their official distribution locations. For use behind a firewall, the specific access needed will depend on which ports are being installed. If you must install it in an "air gapped" environment, consider installing once in a non-"air gapped" environment, populating an asset cache shared with the otherwise "air gapped" environment.

Telemetry

vcpkg collects usage data in order to help us improve your experience. The data collected by Microsoft is anonymous. You can opt-out of telemetry by:

Read more about vcpkg telemetry at https://learn.microsoft.com/vcpkg/about/privacy.

vcpkg (microsoft/vcpkg)

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Vcpkg
What is this?vcpkg is a free, open-source C/C++ package manager maintained by Microsoft and the C++ community, letting you fetch, build, and manage third-party libraries for your C++ projects.
Is this a build system, or does it plug into the one I already use?It is not its own build system; vcpkg integrates with the build system you already use, such as CMake, MSBuild, or others, via dedicated integration guides.
How do I install packages with vcpkg?Create a manifest file listing your project's dependencies, or install individual packages directly from the command line, then wire up the CMake/MSBuild integration.
Do I need a particular editor or IDE to use it?No, vcpkg works with any editor; there are dedicated setup guides for Visual Studio, VS Code, CLion, and Qt Creator, but none is required.
Can I use vcpkg in an air-gapped environment?Yes, but it needs network access to download sources initially; for air-gapped setups you're expected to populate an asset cache in a connected environment first and share it with the offline one.
Does vcpkg work the same on Windows, macOS, and Linux?Yes, vcpkg started as a Windows/Visual Studio migration tool but has since become a fully cross-platform tool used by developers on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Does vcpkg send any usage data back to Microsoft?Yes, vcpkg collects anonymous telemetry by default, but you can opt out via a bootstrap flag, a CLI flag, or an environment variable.
What happens if a library I need isn't in the vcpkg registry?You can open an issue on the GitHub repository asking for it, or package and contribute it yourself using the provided packaging tutorial and maintainer guide.
Can I control which exact versions of my dependencies get installed?Yes, version control of dependencies is listed as one of vcpkg's key features, alongside binary artifact reuse and build-system integration.
Does vcpkg let me publish my own packages?Yes, one of its key features is the ability to package and publish your own libraries in addition to using the existing registry.
What are similar projects?xmake, composer, ninja, nub, Nuitka, spinel, poetry, cargo
Which topics is it in?packages, cplusplus, libraries, visual-studio, cmake, build-tool, package-manager, offline, c, cpp, command-line-tool, security
Creator
microsoft
Size
112.3 MB
Stars
27.5K
Updated
CommitOct 16Release2026.07.29Jul 31
Age
10y
Commits · 90 Days