libebml

libebml is an open-source C++ library for reading and writing EBML, the Extensible Binary Meta Language. EBML is a binary, hierarchical markup format used as the basis for the Matroska multimedia container and is also employed by other projects such as WebM. libebml provides the core functionality needed to parse EBML streams, build and navigate an in-memory representation of EBML elements, and serialize EBML data back to binary form. The library is designed for efficiency and portability and supports cross-platform builds on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

The API focuses on providing access to EBML’s element structure rather than specific file formats, allowing applications to extract metadata, store binary payloads, and construct Matroska or other EBML-based structures. It handles EBML-specific features such as variable-length IDs and sizes, element hierarchies, and the distinction between master elements and simple data elements. Libebml is commonly used as part of the Matroska project, and it serves as a foundation for tools and libraries that read or write Matroska and WebM containers.

Libebml is maintained by an open community of contributors and released as open-source software, with a focus on stability, documentation, and broad platform support. See also: Matroska, WebM, EBML.