# zserge/webview

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14,109 stars · 1,079 forks · C++ · MIT

## Links

- GitHub: https://github.com/zserge/webview
- awesome-repositories: https://awesome-repositories.com/repository/zserge-webview.md

## Description

This is a lightweight, header-only C/C++ library used to embed browser engines into native desktop applications. It serves as a desktop GUI framework that allows developers to build native applications using HTML and CSS for the user interface layer.

The library provides a unified cross-platform browser component that wraps WebKit on Linux and macOS and WebView2 on Windows. It includes a native code bridge to bind JavaScript functions to C++ logic, enabling high-performance operations and data exchange across language boundaries.

The project handles platform-specific browser integration and provides mechanisms for main-thread UI dispatching to ensure thread-safe visual updates. It further supports the transfer of data and function calls between the web environment and native code via a message-based interop bridge.

## Tags

### User Interface & Experience

- [Embedded Browser Components](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/embedded-browser-components.md) — Renders web-based user interfaces inside native applications by integrating a full browser component. ([source](https://github.com/zserge/webview#readme))
- [Desktop GUI Frameworks](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/graphical-user-interfaces/gui-frameworks/desktop-gui-frameworks.md) — Serves as a framework for building native desktop applications using HTML and CSS.
- [Main Thread Dispatchers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/main-thread-dispatchers.md) — Ensures visual updates are safely executed on the primary UI thread to prevent crashes.

### Development Tools & Productivity

- [Header-Only Webview Libraries](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/header-only-webview-libraries.md) — Offers a lightweight, header-only C/C++ library for embedding browser engines across desktop platforms.

### Operating Systems & Systems Programming

- [Browser Engine Integrations](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/kernel-core-internals/system-programming-primitives/system-abstractions/os-specific-integration-modules/browser-engine-integrations.md) — Integrates native platform APIs like WebKit and WebView2 to embed browser engines directly into application windows.
- [Cross-Platform GUI Wrappers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/desktop-environment-frameworks/desktop-environment-components/desktop-applications/cross-platform-gui-wrappers.md) — Wraps WebKit and WebView2 to provide a consistent cross-platform GUI experience.
- [Cross-Platform Abstraction Layers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/kernel-core-internals/system-programming-primitives/system-abstractions/cross-platform-compatibility-layers/cross-platform-abstraction-layers.md) — Implements unified interfaces to access browser engine functionality across different operating systems.

### Programming Languages & Runtimes

- [JavaScript-to-Native Bridges](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/programming-languages-runtimes/language-interoperability/interoperability/javascript-to-native-bridges.md) — Binds JavaScript functions to native C++ logic for high-performance operations.
- [Native C Interoperability](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/programming-languages-runtimes/language-interoperability/native-c-interoperability.md) — Provides interfaces to call native C++ functions directly from the JavaScript environment. ([source](https://github.com/zserge/webview#readme))
- [C Function Bindings](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/programming-languages-runtimes/language-interoperability/native-c-interoperability/c-function-bindings.md) — Maps native C/C++ functions to JavaScript methods for high-performance execution.

### Web Development

- [Desktop Development](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/web-development/desktop-development.md) — Allows the creation of desktop applications using web technologies for the user interface.
- [Embedded Web Views](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/web-development/embedded-web-views.md) — Displays HTML5 interfaces within native applications across different desktop operating systems. ([source](https://github.com/zserge/webview#readme))
- [Lightweight Embedding Utilities](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/web-development/browser-integration-utilities/lightweight-embedding-utilities.md) — Provides a minimal browser component for native projects without the overhead of a full browser distribution.

### Networking & Communication

- [Message Bridges](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/networking-communication/message-bridges.md) — Transfers data and function calls between web and native layers using serialized string messages.

### Part of an Awesome List

- [GUI Frameworks](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/awesome-lists/devtools/gui-frameworks.md) — Provides a cross-platform webview with JavaScript bindings.
- [User Interface Frameworks](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/awesome-lists/devtools/user-interface-frameworks.md) — Cross-platform webview integration.