lc-soft/LCUI

Free

C library for building user interfaces

FreeFree tier

Type

Open Source

Visit Website GitHub (38 stars)

About lc-soft/LCUI

LCUI is a library written in C for building graphical user interfaces. It is characterized by its small size, ease of use, and provision of convenient development tools to help developers quickly create desktop applications with graphical user interfaces. The library supports cross-platform development on Windows and Linux, offers fully custom-drawn components for consistent appearance across platforms, includes DPI awareness for high-resolution screens, and features a built-in CSS engine for defining UI styles and layouts. Additionally, LCUI integrates modern web frontend technologies such as TypeScript, JSX syntax, and the React library, along with a file-system based router, a Tailwind CSS-compatible styling system, and a command-line development tool for preprocessing and generating C source code.

Key Features

Cross-platform: supports Windows and Linux

Fully custom-drawn components for consistent appearance and behavior

DPI awareness: automatically scales UI on high-resolution screens

Built-in CSS engine for defining UI styles and layouts

Modern development tools: TypeScript with JSX syntax, React library

File-system based router for page navigation

Icon library sourced from fluentui-system-icons

Command-line development tool (lcui build) for preprocessing and generating C source code

Pros & Cons

Pros

Small library size and easy to use
Cross-platform support for Windows and Linux
Built-in CSS engine enables familiar styling for web developers
DPI awareness ensures clear display on high-resolution screens
Modern web-like development with TypeScript, JSX, and React
Open source and free to use

Cons

Limited platform support (only Windows and Linux, no macOS)
Niche community and relatively small ecosystem
May require learning custom tooling and build pipeline
Documentation and examples might be limited compared to mature GUI frameworks

Best For

Building desktop applications with graphical user interfacesRapid GUI development using web frontend technologiesCreating cross-platform UI applications for Windows and LinuxLearning and exploring new ways of developing user interfaces in C

FAQ

What is LCUI?

LCUI is a C library for building graphical user interfaces. It aims to provide a small, easy-to-use framework with convenient development tools for creating desktop applications.

What platforms does LCUI support?

LCUI currently supports Windows and Linux.

What programming language is LCUI written in?

LCUI is written in C.

Does LCUI support CSS for styling?

Yes, LCUI has a built-in CSS engine that allows developers to define UI styles and layouts using CSS.

Can I use web frontend technologies like React with LCUI?

Yes, LCUI includes modern development tools that allow you to build user interfaces using TypeScript with JSX syntax and the React library.