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Apache Portable Runtime

Supporting library for the Apache web server

Apache Portable Runtime

Developer(s)	Apache Software Foundation

Stable release	1.7.4 / April 16, 2023; 11 months ago (2023-04-16)^[1]

Repository	github.com/apache/apr
Written in	C
Operating system	Cross-platform
Type	Development library
License	Apache License 2.0
Website	apr.apache.org

The Apache Portable Runtime (APR) is a supporting library for the Apache web server. It provides a set of APIs that map to the underlying operating system (OS).^[2] Where the OS does not support a particular function, APR will provide an emulation. Thus programmers can use the APR to make a program truly portable across platforms.

APR originally formed a part of Apache HTTP Server, but the Apache Software Foundation spun it off into a separate project. Other applications can use it to achieve platform independence.

Functionality

The range of platform-independent functionality provided by APR includes: ^[3]

Memory allocation and memory pool functionality
Atomic operations
Dynamic library handling
File I/O
Command-argument parsing
Locking
Hash tables and arrays
Mmap functionality
Network sockets and protocols
Thread, process and mutex functionality
Shared memory functionality
Skip list functionality
Time routines
User and group ID services

Similar projects

GLib – provides similar functionality. It supports many more data structures and OS-independent functions, but fewer IPC-related functions. (GLib lacks local and global locking and shared-memory management.)
Netscape Portable Runtime (NSPR) is a cross-platform abstraction library used by the Mozilla project. It is used by another subproject of Mozilla application framework (XPFE) to provide cross-platform graphical user interface (GUI) functionality.
Adaptive Communication Environment (ACE) is an object-oriented library written in C++ similar in functionality to APR. It is widely deployed in commercial products.^[4]
commonc++ is a cross-platform C++ class library for systems programming, with much of the same functionality as APR.
POCO is a modern C++ framework similar in concept but more extensive than APR.
WxWidgets is an object-oriented cross-platform GUI library that also provides abstraction classes for database communication, IPC and networking functionality.
KDE Frameworks – used by KDE SC

References

^ "Apache Portable Runtime APR 1.7.4 Released". Retrieved 7 October 2023.
^ Stable Apache Release Hits, Sean Michael Kerner, 2 December 2005, "Apache Portable Runtime (APR) 1.0 API, which provides libraries that interface between the underlying operating system and the server."
^ "Apache Portable Runtime modules". Apache. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
^ "ACE and TAO Success Stories". Archived from the original on 29 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-31.