realsenseai/librealsense

What is it?

Key features

• 01Depth and color streaming from RealSense cameras.
• 02Access to intrinsic and extrinsic calibration data.
• 03Wrappers for C++, C, C#, Python, ROS 2 and REST API.
• 04Runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and Docker, with Jetson and Raspberry Pi guides.
• 05Bundled RealSense Viewer and Depth Quality Tool.
• 06Optional GPU acceleration through CUDA or AMD HIP/ROCm.

Use cases

• Adding depth sensing to robots or autonomous mobile platforms.
• Building 3D scanning or object measurement applications.
• Prototyping computer vision pipelines with ROS 2 or Python.
• Evaluating and tuning RealSense camera accuracy before deployment.

Quick start

1. 1

   Install the stable Python package

   pip install pyrealsense2
2. 2

   Clone the repository and create a build directory

   git clone https://github.com/realsenseai/librealsense.git && cd librealsense && mkdir build && cd build
3. 3

   Configure the build with CMake

   cmake ..
4. 4

   Build the project

   cmake --build .

Things to know

• !Requires a RealSense depth camera to get the most out of the SDK.
• !Some newer closed-source libraries are distributed separately through Perception Studio.

In collections

Topics

FAQ

What is librealsense?

Cross-platform C++ SDK for Intel RealSense depth cameras, providing depth and color streaming plus intrinsic and extrinsic calibration data. librealsense is the SDK 2.0 for RealSense depth cameras. It lets applications open depth and color streams from supported devices and read intrinsic and extrinsic calibration information, so developers can work with 3D depth data from stereo cameras without writing low-level device drivers.

Is librealsense free to use? What license does it have?

librealsense is open source under the Apache-2.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.

Is librealsense still maintained?

Actively maintained. The last commit to librealsense was on Nov 5, 2026.

What can I use librealsense for?

Adding depth sensing to robots or autonomous mobile platforms. Building 3D scanning or object measurement applications. Prototyping computer vision pipelines with ROS 2 or Python. Evaluating and tuning RealSense camera accuracy before deployment.

How do I install librealsense?

Install the stable Python package: pip install pyrealsense2 Clone the repository and create a build directory: git clone https://github.com/realsenseai/librealsense.git && cd librealsense && mkdir build && cd build Configure the build with CMake: cmake .. Build the project: cmake --build .

Where can I get librealsense?

The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/realsenseai/librealsense