OpenGL® Registry

The OpenGL Registry contains specifications, header files, and related documentation for OpenGL and related APIs including GLU, GLX, and WGL. In addition to the core API specifications, many extensions to these APIs have been defined by vendors, groups of vendors, and the ARB. The Registry also contains specifications and header files for all registered extensions, written as modifications to the appropriate core API specifications.

The Registry also includes naming conventions, guidelines for creating new extensions and writing suitable extension specifications, and other documentation related to these APIs.

Table of Contents

Current OpenGL API, Shading Language, GLX, and Related Specifications and Reference Pages
Core API and Extension Header Files
Older OpenGL and GLX Specifications and Reference Pages
IP Disclosures Potentially Affecting OpenGL Implementations
Adding to the Registry and Requesting Enumerant Allocations
OpenGL Application Binary Interface for Linux
Registry of Reserved Enumerants and Functions
Extension Specifications
- ARB Extensions by number
  (Note 2012/08/13: specs named GL_ARB_debug_group, GL_ARB_debug_label, and GL_ARB_debug_output2 were published in error during the initial OpenGL 4.3 release. All functionality in these documents was combined into the extension GL_KHR_debug. They have been withdrawn from the registry, and a few other extensions were renumbered to avoid holes in the numbering scheme.)
- Vendor and EXT Extensions by number

Current OpenGL API, OpenGL Shading Language and GLX Specifications and Reference Pages

Current Specifications (OpenGL 4.3)
OpenGL 4.3 Core Profile Specification (updated February 14, 2013)
OpenGL 4.3 Core Profile Specification with changes marked (updated February 14, 2013)
OpenGL 4.3 Compatibility Profile Specification (updated February 14, 2013)
OpenGL 4.3 Compatibility Profile Specification with changes marked (updated February 14, 2013)
OpenGL Shading Language 4.30.8 Specification (updated February 7, 2013)
OpenGL 4.3 Reference Pages
OpenGL Shading Language Reference Pages
OpenGL X Window System Binding (GLX 1.4) Specification
GLX 1.4 Specification (December 16, 2005)

API and Extension Header Files

Because extensions vary from platform to platform and driver to driver, OpenGL developers can't expect interfaces for all extensions to be defined in the standard gl.h, glx.h, and wgl.h header files. Additional header files - glext.h, glxext.h, and wglext.h - are provided here.

These headers define interfaces (enumerants, prototypes, and for platforms supporting dynamic runtime extension queries, such as Linux and Microsoft Windows, function pointer typedefs) for all registered extensions.

Core Profile API Header

glcorearb.h contains interfaces for the core profile of OpenGL and ARB extensions, as described in appendix G.2 of the OpenGL 4.3 Specification. It does not include interfaces found only in the compatibility profile.

Note: glcorearb.h replaces the old gl3.h draft header, but it is not specific to OpenGL 3.x and we changed the name accordingly.

We may in the future create a glcoreext.h if and when there is demand for a header describing vendor extension interfaces that are known to work with core profile contexts. No such header exists at present.

Please read the release notes near the top of glcorearb.h before attempting to use it.

Older OpenGL and GLX Specifications and Reference Pages

IP Disclosure Statements

IP Disclosure Statements from Khronos Members which bear on OpenGL are available.

Adding to the Registry and Requesting Enumerant Allocations

If you want to add an extension specification to the Registry, correct an existing specification, request allocation of enumerants and other controlled resources in the OpenGL / GLX / WGL namespaces, or otherwise change the Registry, please create a Bugzilla account on the public Khronos.org Bugzilla, and submit your request there against Product "OpenGL", Component "Registry". You can use this Bugzilla link, which fills in many fields for you.

Please review the documents linked below, especially How to Create Extensions and Enumerant Allocation Policies, before making your request.

OpenGL Application Binary Interface for Linux

The current version of the OpenGL Application Binary Interface for Linux is also available.

Enumerant and Function Registry

The Registry includes databases defining the APIs and reserved enumerant ranges for OpenGL, GLX, and WGL. There are several of these ".spec" files for each API, described below:

OpenGL .spec files
- enum.spec - canonical description of the reserved OpenGL enumerants and the ranges allocated for different purposes. New allocations are made here and when extensions using values in allocated ranges are registered, the enumerants in those extensions are added as well.
- enumext.spec - derived variant of enum.spec containing the enumerant values grouped by the extension or API core revision they correspond to.
- gl.spec - canonical description of the functions defined by core OpenGL and extensions. When extensions are registered, the functions they define are added here.
- gl.tm - typemap used to convert the abstract typenames in gl.spec into underlying GL types.
- enumext.spec, gl.spec, and gl.tm are used to generate glext.h
GLX .spec files
- glxenum.spec - canonical description of the reserved GLX enumerants, like enum.spec.
- glxenumext.spec - derived variant of glxenum.spec containing the enumerant values grouped by the GLX extension or API core revision they correspond to. This only includes GLX core versions 1.3 and later.
- glx.spec - canonical description of the functions defined by core GLX up to version 1.3.
- glxext.spec - canonical description of the functions defined by GLX extensions and core versions 1.3 and later.
- glx.tm - typemap used to convert the abstract typenames in glx*.spec into underlying GLX types.
- glxenumext.spec, glxext.spec, and glx.tm are used to generate glxext.h.
WGL .spec files
- wglenum.spec - canonical description of the reserved WGL enumerants, like enum.spec.
- wglenumext.spec - derived variant of wglenum.spec containing the enumerant values grouped by the WGL extension they correspond to. This only includes WGL core versions 1.3 and later (Microsoft has never revised the WGL core API).
- wgl.spec - canonical description of the functions defined by WGL.
- wglext.spec - canonical description of the functions defined by WGL extensions.
- wgl.tm - typemap used to convert the abstract typenames in wgl*.spec into underlying WGL and Win32 types.
- wglenumext.spec, wglext.spec, and wgl.tm are used to generate wglext.h.

(Yes, these databases should be moved to a modern XML-based format. Patience.)

ARB Extensions by number

Vendor and EXT Extensions by number

Other Extensions

These extensions have not yet been assigned numbers, are still under development, or were abandoned (but are kept in the extension registry for reference purposes).

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