# Makepad — Creative Software Development Platform for Rust

> Makepad is a Rust-based UI framework and live-coding IDE that compiles to WebGL, Metal, DirectX, and OpenGL. It combines a visual design environment with a high-performance rendering engine for building desktop, mobile, and web applications.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# Makepad — Creative Software Development Platform for Rust

## Quick Use
```bash
# Clone and run
git clone https://github.com/makepad/makepad.git
cd makepad
cargo run -p makepad-example-simple --release

# Or build for WebAssembly
cargo makepad wasm run -p makepad-example-simple
```

## Introduction
Makepad is a Rust framework for building native and web UIs with a GPU-accelerated rendering engine. It includes a live design language for styling and layout, enabling developers to see changes instantly without recompiling the application.

## What Makepad Does
- Renders UIs at 120fps using GPU shaders on Metal, DirectX, OpenGL, and WebGL
- Provides a declarative live-design DSL for layout, styling, and animation
- Compiles to native desktop (macOS, Windows, Linux), mobile (iOS, Android), and web (WASM)
- Includes a built-in code editor component with syntax highlighting
- Supports hot-reloading of design files without application restart

## Architecture Overview
Makepad uses a retained-mode widget tree combined with a GPU shader pipeline. The live-design language compiles to Rust structs at build time but reloads at runtime for instant preview. Drawing happens through a custom 2D renderer that batches draw calls and runs GLSL-like shaders translated to each platform's native shading language.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Requires Rust stable toolchain; install via rustup
- Add makepad as a cargo dependency or clone the monorepo
- Write UI in .rs files using the live_design! macro for layout and styling
- Target WASM with cargo makepad wasm or native with cargo run
- Customize themes by editing live-design tokens for colors, fonts, and spacing

## Key Features
- GPU-accelerated rendering at 120fps across all platforms
- Live design reload without recompilation
- Single codebase for desktop, mobile, and web
- Built-in widgets: buttons, text inputs, sliders, scroll views, dock panels
- Shader-based animations defined alongside UI layout

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Iced** — Elm-inspired Rust GUI; Makepad offers live design and GPU shaders
- **egui** — immediate-mode Rust GUI; Makepad is retained-mode with richer styling
- **Tauri** — wraps web tech in native shell; Makepad renders natively with no WebView
- **Flutter** — Dart-based cross-platform; Makepad is pure Rust with direct GPU access

## FAQ
**Q: Does Makepad support mobile?**
A: Yes. It compiles to native iOS and Android apps with the same codebase used for desktop and web.

**Q: Can I use Makepad without the IDE?**
A: Yes. Makepad is primarily a UI framework. The IDE is one application built with it, not a requirement.

**Q: How mature is Makepad?**
A: It is under active development. The rendering engine and widget set are stable, though the API may change between releases.

**Q: What is the live-design language?**
A: A DSL embedded in Rust source files via macros. It defines layout, colors, fonts, and animations in a CSS-like syntax that reloads at runtime.

## Sources
- https://github.com/makepad/makepad
- https://makepad.dev/

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-d0054c53
Author: Script Depot