Dear ImGui
Immediate-mode graphical user interface library for C++, commonly used for tools and debug UIs.
HN commenters like it for compact, pixel-dense interfaces12 and as a near-standard choice for prototyping graphical apps and side-project tools.345 The most noted caveat is that it renders less beautifully than native OS interfaces6, though it still works well for cross-platform apps.78
Why people recommend it
Prototyping · 3
Described as basically standard for prototyping graphical applications and working well for side projects and local tools.
“It's basically standard when prototyping any sort of graphical application.”
“For my own side project I used ImGUI and it's working great for my purpose.”
Show 1 more
“It's pretty pixel-dense and looks alright to me.”
Dense UI · 2
Commenters praise its space-efficient, pixel-dense interfaces.
“I love Dear ImGUI”
“It's pretty pixel-dense and looks alright to me.”
Cross-platform · 2
Used to build apps running on macOS and Linux, including one approved for the Mac App Store.
“For my own side project I used ImGUI and it's working great for my purpose.”
“It's pretty pixel-dense and looks alright to me.”
Easy to learn · 1
One commenter learned it quickly and said the approach worked great.
“I also used this strategy to learn Imgui and it worked great.”
C bindings · 1
The C bindings are called quite nice and nearly as convenient as the C++ API.
“Dear ImGui via the C bindings is actually quite nice and not much less convenient than the C++ API”
Caveats and dissent
Non-native look · 1
It is not rendered as beautifully as native OS interface layers.
“For my own side project I used ImGUI and it's working great for my purpose.”
C API limits · 1
The C API lacks the overloads and default parameters of the C++ API.
“Dear ImGui via the C bindings is actually quite nice and not much less convenient than the C++ API”
Binary size · 1
A WASM sample was a 491 KB compressed download in a size comparison with the much more minimal microui.
“Dear ImGui sample (https://floooh.github.io/sokol-html5/imgui-sapp.html): 491 KB compressed download”
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- Prospero: A new coding harness for a more civilized age 1 mention
- Show HN: Git Lineage, a Perforce-style time-lapse view for Git blame 1 mention
- Reverse Engineering Unknown File Formats with ImHex 1 mention
- Prevent cognitive debt by manually retyping LLM-generated code 1 mention
- MicroUI – A tiny, portable, immediate-mode UI library written in ANSI C 1 mention
- Stop the Apple Music app from launching 1 mention
Data: dear-imgui.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 9
“I love Dear ImGUI”
“Dear ImGui on SDL3's GPU API”
“Also shoutout to the awesome GUI library is uses”
“I also used this strategy to learn Imgui and it worked great.”
“Dear ImGui sample (https://floooh.github.io/sokol-html5/imgui-sapp.html): 491 KB compressed download”
“It's pretty pixel-dense and looks alright to me.”
“For my own side project I used ImGUI and it's working great for my purpose.”
“Dear ImGui via the C bindings is actually quite nice and not much less convenient than the C++ API”
“It's basically standard when prototyping any sort of graphical application.”