libpipewire

libpipewire is the client library for the PipeWire multimedia framework. It provides a stable C API that applications use to connect to the PipeWire daemon, create and manage streams and nodes, discover and bind to objects, query and set properties, and respond to state changes. As the primary client-side interface, libpipewire sits between applications and the PipeWire server, enabling scripted and real-time control of audio and video pipelines.

The library exposes a set of core objects that model the PipeWire world. Key entities include pw_core for the connection to the server, pw_registry for discovering objects, pw_node and pw_port to represent processing units and their interfaces, pw_stream for media streams, and pw_device and pw_link for routing and associations. It also provides pw_properties for property maps and a variety of event callbacks and error handling mechanisms. libpipewire communicates with the PipeWire daemon using the project’s wire protocol over IPC, and supports both high-level convenience APIs and lower-level access for advanced use cases.

Typical usage involves initializing a core, obtaining a registry, discovering available nodes or devices, creating and configuring streams, negotiating formats, and controlling playback or capture. Applications can react to state changes through event-driven callbacks, enabling dynamic routing, volume control, and simple processing tasks within the PipeWire ecosystem.

As a component of the PipeWire project, libpipewire is widely used by multimedia applications and toolchains on Linux. It is maintained as part of the upstream PipeWire codebase and is distributed under the project’s licensing terms.