The repository contains the Abseil C++ library code. Abseil is an open-source collection of C++ code (compliant to C++14) designed to augment the C++ standard library.
Abseil is an open-source collection of C++ library code designed to augment the C++ standard library. The Abseil library code is collected from Google's own C++ code base, has been extensively tested and used in production, and is the same code we depend on in our daily coding lives.
In some cases, Abseil provides pieces missing from the C++ standard; in others, Abseil provides alternatives to the standard for special needs we've found through usage in the Google code base. We denote those cases clearly within the library code we provide you.
Abseil is not meant to be a competitor to the standard library; we've just found that many of these utilities serve a purpose within our code base, and we now want to provide those resources to the C++ community as a whole.
If you want to just get started, make sure you at least run through the Abseil Quickstart. The Quickstart contains information about setting up your development environment, downloading the Abseil code, running tests, and getting a simple binary working.
Bazel and CMake are the official build systems for Abseil. See the quickstart for more information on building Abseil using the Bazel build system. If you require CMake support, please check the CMake build instructions and CMake Quickstart.
Abseil follows Google's Foundational C++ Support Policy. See this table for a list of currently supported versions compilers, platforms, and build tools.
Abseil contains the following C++ library components:
base
base library contains initialization code and other code which
all other Abseil code depends on. Code within base may not depend on any
other code (other than the C++ standard library).algorithm
algorithm library contains additions to the C++ <algorithm>
library and container-based versions of such algorithms.cleanup
cleanup library contains the control-flow-construct-like type
absl::Cleanup which is used for executing a callback on scope exit.container
container library contains additional STL-style containers,
including Abseil's unordered "Swiss table" containers.crc The crc library contains code for
computing error-detecting cyclic redundancy checks on data.debugging
debugging library contains code useful for enabling leak
checks, and stacktrace and symbolization utilities.flags
flags library contains code for handling command line flags for
libraries and binaries built with Abseil.hash
hash library contains the hashing framework and default hash
functor implementations for hashable types in Abseil.log
log library contains LOG and CHECK macros and facilities
for writing logged messages out to disk, stderr, or user-extensible
destinations.memory
memory library contains memory management facilities that augment
C++'s <memory> library.meta
meta library contains compatible versions of type checks
available within C++14 and C++17 versions of the C++ <type_traits> library.numeric
numeric library contains 128-bit integer types as well as
implementations of C++20's bitwise math functions.profiling
profiling library contains utility code for profiling C++
entities. It is currently a private dependency of other Abseil libraries.random
random library contains functions for generating psuedorandom
values.status
status library contains abstractions for error handling,
specifically absl::Status and absl::StatusOr<T>.strings
strings library contains a variety of strings routines and
utilities, including a C++14-compatible version of the C++17
std::string_view type.synchronization
synchronization library contains concurrency primitives (Abseil's
absl::Mutex class, an alternative to std::mutex) and a variety of
synchronization abstractions.time
time library contains abstractions for computing with absolute
points in time, durations of time, and formatting and parsing time within
time zones.types
types library contains non-container utility types, like a
C++14-compatible version of the C++17 std::optional type.utility
utility library contains utility and helper code.Abseil recommends users "live-at-head" (update to the latest commit from the master branch as often as possible). However, we realize this philosophy doesn't work for every project, so we also provide Long Term Support Releases to which we backport fixes for severe bugs. See our release management document for more details.
The Abseil C++ library is licensed under the terms of the Apache license. See LICENSE for more information.
For more information about Abseil: