Requirements for Building a MATLAB Interface to C/C++ Libraries

R2026b

A compiled library is a collection of classes and functions dynamically loaded by an application at run time. The MATLAB^® interface to a C++ compiled library supports libraries containing functionality defined in C++ header and source files. You can compile the headers in a C++ development environment and use the functionality in C++ applications.

C++ Source and Header Files

To publish a MATLAB interface to a C or C++ library, identify specific functionality you want to include in the interface and the associated header files. These inputs are typically used as part of a configuration or script that defines the interface.

You can use library example code as a starting point to create an .hpp header file. Example code contains the relevant header files in #include statements. You can copy relevant .cpp code into a text editor, remove the main function, and save the file with the .cpp file extension. The name of this file can be provided as the SourceFiles input when creating a clibgen.api.InterfaceDefinition object.

Compiled Library Files

These compiled library files are used during interface generation and build steps. MATLAB supports these 64-bit dynamic libraries:

Platform	Compiled Library	File Extension
Microsoft® Windows®	Dynamic-link library file	.dll
	Import library file	.lib
Linux®	Shared object file	.so
Apple macOS	Dynamic shared library file	.dylib

Compiler Dependencies

To build a MATLAB interface for a C/C++ library, you need an installed C/C++ compiler that MATLAB supports. For an up-to-date list of supported compilers, see Supported and Compatible Compilers.

Build the interface to the library by using the same compiler that was used to build the C/C++ library. If your library is header-only (does not use a compiled library file), then you can choose any supported C/C++ compiler to build the interface library.

For workflows that automate interface generation, these compiler requirements still apply.

Note

Not every C++ compiler supports every C++ feature.