Processing

Processing is an open-source graphical programming language and integrated development environment (IDE) designed to teach programming in the context of visual arts and design. It emphasizes simple syntax, immediate visual feedback, and cross-platform portability, enabling users to create graphics, animation, and interactive sketches with relatively little boilerplate code. The language runs on the Java platform and provides a core library that abstracts many Java details.

Processing was created in 2001 by Casey Reas and Ben Fry, at the MIT Media Lab, as a tool to make programming approachable for artists and designers. It combines a Java-based syntax with a sketch-book metaphor: users write code in functions such as setup() for initialization and draw() for continuous rendering. The Processing IDE bundles the editor, compiler, and renderer, and sketches run as standalone Java applications or applets, depending on configuration.

A large ecosystem supports Processing, including a wide range of libraries for graphics, sound, video, and data visualization. It can render via JAVA2D, P2D, and P3D backends, among others, and enables export to standalone applications. The project has fostered several related initiatives, notably p5.js, a JavaScript implementation intended for the web, and Processing.py, a Python mode. The Processing Foundation now maintains the project, promoting education, art, and experimentation.

Used in education, research, and creative industries, Processing has played a key role in popularizing creative coding and remains a common entry point for learning programming concepts through visual media.