Editing Simple DirectMedia Layer (section)

=== Supported back-ends ===
[[File:SDL Layers.svg|thumb|Abstraction layers of several SDL platforms]]
Because of the way SDL is designed, much of its source code is split into separate modules for each operating system, to make calls to the underlying system. When SDL is compiled, the appropriate modules are selected for the target system. The following back-ends are available:<ref name="platforms" />

* [[Graphics Device Interface|GDI]] back-end for [[Microsoft Windows]].
* [[DirectX]] back-end; older SDL 1.2 uses DirectX 7 by default, while 2.0 defaults to DirectX 9 and can access up to DirectX 12.
* [[Quartz (graphics layer)|Quartz]] back-end for [[macOS]] (dropped in 2.0).
* [[Metal (API)|Metal]] back-end for [[macOS]] / [[iOS]] / [[tvOS]] since 2.0.8; older versions use OpenGL by default.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.libsdl.org/tmp/SDL/WhatsNew.txt|access-date=28 September 2020|title=WhatsNew.txt|archive-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111232012/https://www.libsdl.org/tmp/SDL/WhatsNew.txt|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://lists.libsdl.org/pipermail/commits-libsdl.org/2017-December/002441.html|date=7 December 2017|title=[Commits] SDL: Enable building the Metal renderer by default, and weak lin...}}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* [[Xlib]] back-end for [[X Window System core protocol|X11]]-based [[windowing system]] on various operating systems.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hg.libsdl.org/SDL/file/default/README-platforms.txt |title=SDL: README-platforms.txt@3e2f230a6d62 |website=Hg.libsdl.org |publisher=libsdl.org |access-date=2013-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215031050/http://hg.libsdl.org/SDL/file/default/README-platforms.txt |archive-date=2013-12-15}}</ref>
* [[OpenGL]] contexts on various platforms.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.libsdl.org/release/SDL-1.2.15/docs/html/guidevideoopengl.html |title=Using OpenGL With SDL |access-date=2015-07-09 }}</ref>
* [[EGL (API)|EGL]] back-end when used in conjunction with Wayland-based windowing system.,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wayland#SDL |title=SDL and Wayland}}</ref> [[Raspberry Pi]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTQ3MzA|title= Raspberry Pi Support Added To SDL2 Library|first= Michael|last= Larabel|date= 30 September 2013}}</ref> and other systems.
* [[Vulkan (API)|Vulkan]] contexts on platforms that support it.<ref name="vulkan" />
* sceGu back-end, a Sony OpenGL-like backend native to the [[PlayStation Portable|PSP]].

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SDL 1.2 has support for [[RISC OS]] (dropped in 2.0).
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An unofficial [[Sixel]] back-end is available for SDL 1.2.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://github.com/saitoha/libsixel/tree/v1.6.1#sdl-integration-gaming-virtualization-etc |title=SDL 1.2 Sixel |website=[[GitHub]] |access-date=2016-04-09}}</ref>

The [[Rockbox]] MP3 player firmware also distributes a version of SDL 1.2, which is used to run games such as [[Quake (video game)|Quake]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SdlPluginPort |title=SDLPluginPort |access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref>