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About godot-cpp

godot-cpp are the official C++ GDExtension bindings, maintained as part of the Godot project.

godot-cpp is built with the GDExtension system, which allows access to Godot in almost the same way as modules: A lot of engine code can be used in your godot-cpp project almost exactly as it is.

In particular, godot-cpp has access to all functions that GDScript and C# have, and additional access to a few more for fast low-level access of data, or deeper integration with Godot.

Differences between godot-cpp and C++ modules

You can use both godot-cpp and C++ modules to run C or C++ code in a Godot project.

它们都可以用来将第三方库集成进 Godot。选用哪一个取决于你的需求。

Advantages of godot-cpp

Unlike modules, godot-cpp (and GDExtensions, in general) don't require compiling the engine's source code, making it easier to distribute your work. It gives you access to most of the API available to GDScript and C#, allowing you to code game logic with full control regarding performance. It's ideal if you need high-performance code you'd like to distribute as an add-on in the asset library.

并且：

  • You can use the same compiled godot-cpp library in the editor and exported project. With C++ modules, you have to recompile all the export templates you plan to use if you require its functionality at runtime.

  • godot-cpp only requires you to compile your library, not the whole engine. That's unlike C++ modules, which are statically compiled into the engine. Every time you change a module, you need to recompile the engine. Even with incremental builds, this process is slower than using godot-cpp.

C++ 模块的优点

We recommend C++ modules in cases where godot-cpp (or another GDExtension system) isn't enough:

  • C++ 模块提供了与引擎更深层次的集成。GDExtension 的访问能力不如静态模块那般深入。

  • 使用 C++ 模块为项目提供额外功能，就可以免去携带原生库文件的麻烦。同样也适用于导出的项目。

备注

If you notice that specific systems are not accessible via godot-cpp but are via custom modules, feel free to open an issue on the godot-cpp repository to discuss implementation options for exposing the missing functionality.

版本兼容性

GDExtensions targeting an earlier version of Godot should work in later minor versions, but not vice-versa. For example, a GDExtension targeting Godot 4.2 should work just fine in Godot 4.3, but one targeting Godot 4.3 won't work in Godot 4.2.

For this reason, when creating GDExtensions, you may want to target the lowest version of Godot that has the features you need, not the most recent version of Godot. This can save you from needing to create multiple builds for different versions of Godot.

There is one exception to this: extensions targeting Godot 4.0 will not work with Godot 4.1 and later (see 将 GDExtension 更新到 4.1).

GDExtensions are also only compatible with engine builds that use the same level of floating-point precision the extension was compiled for. This means that if you use an engine build with double-precision floats, the extension must also be compiled for double-precision floats and use an extension_api.json file generated by your custom engine build. See 大世界坐标 for details.

Generally speaking, if you build a custom version of Godot, you should generate an extension_api.json from it for your GDExtensions, because it may have some differences from official Godot builds.