> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/opencv/opencv/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Platform Support Overview

> OpenCV platform support matrix, system requirements, and architecture compatibility

OpenCV is designed to be cross-platform and runs on a wide variety of operating systems and architectures. This page provides an overview of supported platforms and their requirements.

## Supported Platforms

OpenCV supports the following major platforms:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Linux" icon="linux" href="/platforms/linux">
    Native support for x86, x86\_64, ARM, and other architectures
  </Card>

  <Card title="Windows" icon="windows" href="/platforms/windows">
    Full support via Visual Studio and MinGW toolchains
  </Card>

  <Card title="macOS" icon="apple" href="/platforms/macos">
    Universal binaries for Intel and Apple Silicon
  </Card>

  <Card title="Android" icon="android" href="/platforms/android">
    AAR packages and NDK integration
  </Card>

  <Card title="iOS" icon="mobile" href="/platforms/ios">
    XCFramework with Objective-C and Swift support
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Architecture Support Matrix

OpenCV supports a wide range of processor architectures across different platforms:

| Platform    | Architectures                                     | Build System                |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------- |
| **Linux**   | x86, x86\_64, ARM (v7, v8), RISC-V, PowerPC, MIPS | CMake + Make/Ninja          |
| **Windows** | x86, x86\_64, ARM64                               | CMake + Visual Studio/Ninja |
| **macOS**   | x86\_64, arm64 (Apple Silicon)                    | CMake + Xcode               |
| **Android** | armeabi-v7a, arm64-v8a, x86, x86\_64              | CMake + Gradle/NDK          |
| **iOS**     | armv7, arm64, i386, x86\_64 (simulator)           | CMake + Xcode               |

## Minimum Requirements

### Build Tools

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Linux">
    * GCC 5.x+ or Clang 3.4+
    * CMake 3.5.1+
    * Make or Ninja
    * Git (optional)
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Windows">
    * Visual Studio 2015+ (MSVC 14.0+)
    * CMake 3.5.1+
    * Git (optional)
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="macOS">
    * Xcode 12.2+ with Command Line Tools
    * CMake 3.19.0+
    * Python 3.6+
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Android">
    * Android Studio or Android SDK/NDK
    * CMake 3.6+
    * Python 3.6+ (for build scripts)
    * Gradle 6.0+
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="iOS">
    * Xcode 12.2+ with Command Line Tools
    * CMake 3.19.0+
    * Python 3.6+
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Runtime Requirements

<Note>
  Minimum OS versions for running OpenCV applications:

  * **Linux**: Kernel 2.6.32+ (older kernels may work with reduced functionality)
  * **Windows**: Windows 7 SP1 or later
  * **macOS**: macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or later
  * **Android**: API Level 21 (Android 5.0 Lollipop) or later
  * **iOS**: iOS 9.0 or later
</Note>

## Cross-Compilation Support

OpenCV provides toolchain files for cross-compilation:

```bash theme={null}
# ARM Linux cross-compilation example
cmake -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=platforms/linux/arm-gnueabi.toolchain.cmake \
      -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
      ..
```

### Available Toolchains

The `platforms/` directory contains toolchain files for:

* **ARM**: `arm-gnueabi.toolchain.cmake`, `aarch64-gnu.toolchain.cmake`
* **RISC-V**: `riscv64-gcc.toolchain.cmake`, `riscv64-clang.toolchain.cmake`
* **MIPS**: `mips32r5el-gnu.toolchain.cmake`, `mips64r6el-gnu.toolchain.cmake`
* **PowerPC**: `ppc64-gnu.toolchain.cmake`, `ppc64le-gnu.toolchain.cmake`

## Hardware Acceleration

OpenCV leverages platform-specific acceleration technologies:

| Platform          | Acceleration Technologies                |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| **All Platforms** | SSE2/3/4, AVX, AVX2, AVX-512, NEON       |
| **Linux**         | OpenCL, CUDA, TBB, OpenMP, VA-API        |
| **Windows**       | OpenCL, CUDA, TBB, OpenMP, DirectX       |
| **macOS**         | OpenCL, TBB, Accelerate Framework        |
| **Android**       | OpenCL, Vulkan, NNAPI, FastCV (Qualcomm) |
| **iOS**           | Accelerate Framework, Metal, Core ML     |

<Warning>
  GPU acceleration (CUDA, OpenCL) requires compatible hardware and additional setup. Not all modules support all acceleration technologies.
</Warning>

## Binary Distributions

Pre-built binaries are available for common configurations:

* **Windows**: Installer packages for Visual Studio 2015-2022 (x86, x64)
* **Android**: AAR packages via Maven Central
* **iOS**: Pre-built frameworks available in releases
* **Python**: `pip install opencv-python` for major platforms

<Tip>
  Building from source gives you more control over enabled features and optimizations for your specific hardware.
</Tip>

## Platform-Specific Considerations

### Mobile Platforms

<Info>
  For iOS and Android:

  * Framework/AAR sizes can be large (\~50-100MB). Consider using modular builds to reduce size.
  * Some modules are not available on mobile (e.g., highgui video capture)
  * Use `--without` flag when building to exclude unnecessary modules
</Info>

### Embedded Systems

For resource-constrained embedded Linux systems:

```bash theme={null}
# Minimal build for embedded systems
cmake -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF \
      -DBUILD_TESTS=OFF \
      -DBUILD_PERF_TESTS=OFF \
      -DBUILD_EXAMPLES=OFF \
      -DWITH_GTK=OFF \
      -DWITH_QT=OFF \
      ..
```

## Getting Started

Select your platform to view detailed installation and build instructions:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Linux Installation" href="/platforms/linux" />

  <Card title="Windows Installation" href="/platforms/windows" />

  <Card title="macOS Installation" href="/platforms/macos" />

  <Card title="Android Development" href="/platforms/android" />

  <Card title="iOS Development" href="/platforms/ios" />
</CardGroup>

## Additional Resources

* [General Installation Tutorial](https://docs.opencv.org/4.x/df/d65/tutorial_table_of_content_introduction.html)
* [CMake Configuration Reference](https://docs.opencv.org/4.x/db/d05/tutorial_config_reference.html)
* [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/opencv/opencv)
* [Release Downloads](https://opencv.org/releases/)