pipewire/doc/api.dox

/** \page page_api API Documentation

The API consists of two parts:

- The \ref page_core_api to access a PipeWire instance. This API is used
by all clients that need to communicate with the \ref page_daemon and provides
the necessary structs to interface with the daemon.
- The \ref page_implementation_api and tools to build new objects and modules.
This API is primarily used by the \ref page_daemon itself but also by the
\ref page_session_manager and modules/extensions that need to build objects in
the graph.

The APIs work through proxy objects, so that calling a method on an object
invokes that same method on the remote side. Marshalling and de-marshalling is
handled transparently by the \ref page_module_protocol_native.
The below graph illustrates this approach:

\dot
digraph API {
  compound=true;
  node [shape="box"];
  rankdir="RL";

  subgraph cluster_daemon {
       rankdir="TB";
       label="PipeWire daemon";
       style="dashed";

       impl_core [label="Core Impl. Object"];
       impl_device [label="Device Impl. Object"];
       impl_node [label="Node Impl. Object"];
  }

  subgraph cluster_client {
       rankdir="TB";
       label="PipeWire client";
       style="dashed";

       obj_core [label="Core Object"];
       obj_device [label="Device Object"];
       obj_node [label="Node Object"];
  }

  obj_core -> impl_core;
  obj_device -> impl_device;
  obj_node -> impl_node;

}
\enddot

It is common for clients to use both the Core API and the Implementation API
and both APIs are provided by the same library.

\section page_core_api Core API

The Core API serves to access a PipeWire instance. This API is used by all
clients to communicate with the \ref page_daemon. It consists of the
following object-specific APIs:

- \ref pw_core
- \ref pw_context
- \ref pw_global
- \ref pw_client
- \ref pw_resource
- \ref pw_node
- \ref pw_port
- \ref pw_link

If you are familiar with Wayland implementation, the Core API is
roughly equivalent to libwayland-client.

\section page_implementation_api Implementation API

The implementation API provides the tools to build new objects and
modules. It consists of the following object-specific APIs:

- \ref pw_impl_core
- \ref pw_impl_client
- \ref pw_impl_device
- \ref pw_impl_factory
- \ref pw_impl_link
- \ref pw_impl_metadata
- \ref pw_impl_module
- \ref pw_impl_node
- \ref pw_impl_port
- \ref pw_control
- \ref pw_global
- \ref pw_resource
- \ref pw_work_queue

If you are familiar with Wayland implementation, the Implementation API is
roughly equivalent to libwayland-server.

*/