shaderc

shaderc is a collection of tools and libraries for compiling shader source code into SPIR-V. SPIR-V is a Khronos-standard intermediate representation for graphics and compute shaders, designed to be consumed by Vulkan, OpenGL, and other modern graphics APIs. The shaderc project provides command-line utilities and C/C++ libraries that enable developers to compile shaders written in GLSL (OpenGL Shading Language) or HLSL (High-Level Shading Language) into the SPIR-V binary format.

The primary purpose of shaderc is to facilitate cross-platform shader compilation. Instead of relying on individual graphics drivers to compile shaders at runtime, which can lead to inconsistent performance and potential issues, developers can pre-compile their shaders into SPIR-V offline. This pre-compiled SPIR-V bytecode can then be loaded directly by the graphics API at application runtime, leading to faster shader compilation times and a more predictable rendering pipeline.

shaderc supports both GLSL and HLSL as input languages. For GLSL, it uses the glslang compiler as its backend. For HLSL, it leverages the DirectX Shader Compiler (DXC). This dual support makes shaderc a versatile tool for developers working with different shading language traditions. The output is standard SPIR-V, ensuring compatibility with Vulkan and other SPIR-V-consuming environments. The library-based API allows for integration into build systems and game engines, automating the shader compilation process during development or even for distribution.