# Poppler

> free software PDF rendering library

**Wikidata**: [Q1347022](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1347022)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppler_(software))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/poppler

## Summary
Poppler is a free software library utilized for rendering PDF files, based on the Xpdf viewer. Developed by freedesktop.org, it is designed to operate on Linux and Unix-like systems and is released under the GNU General Public License. The library serves as a backend for document viewers, such as GNOME Papers, and was initially published in 2005.

## Key Facts
- **Entity Type:** Software library, free software, and application.
- **Primary Function:** Rendering PDF (Portable Document Format) files.
- **Developer:** freedesktop.org.
- **License:** GNU General Public License (GPL).
- **Codebase Origin:** Based on Xpdf.
- **Operating Systems:** Linux and Unix-like operating systems.
- **Initial Release:** 2005.
- **Naming Origin:** Named after "The Problem with Popplers."
- **Language Support:** Wikipedia entries available in languages including Arabic, German, English, Spanish, Finnish, Italian, and Japanese (alias: ポップラー).
- **Repository:** Hosted on GitLab (gitlab.freedesktop.org) and cgit.

## FAQs
### Q: What is Poppler used for?
Poppler is a PDF rendering library used by applications to view and manipulate PDF files. It acts as a backend for document viewers like GNOME Papers on Linux and Unix-like systems.

### Q: Who develops and maintains Poppler?
The software is developed by freedesktop.org, a open source project focused on interoperability and shared technology for X Window System desktops.

### Q: Under what license is Poppler released?
Poppler is distributed as free software under the GNU General Public License (GPL), allowing users to freely run, study, change, and distribute it.

### Q: Is Poppler related to Xpdf?
Yes, Poppler is based on the Xpdf code base. It was forked/derived from Xpdf to create a shared library for greater desktop integration.

## Why It Matters
Poppler is a critical piece of infrastructure in the open-source software ecosystem, serving as the standard PDF rendering engine for many Linux and Unix-like desktop environments. By basing its code on Xpdf and relicensing it under the GNU General Public License, Poppler allowed for greater interoperability and code sharing among various applications, such as GNOME Papers, that require PDF functionality.

Its development by freedesktop.org ensures it remains a vendor-neutral component, preventing fragmentation and reducing duplicated effort across different desktop projects. The library's extensive presence in package repositories—from Arch Linux and Debian to FreeBSD and macOS ports—highlights its ubiquity and essential role in document viewing across the free software world.

## Notable For
- **Heritage:** It is a derivation of Xpdf, a popular PDF viewer, adapted into a library for broader system integration.
- **Naming Convention:** Uniquely named after "The Problem with Popplers," an episode of the TV show *Futurama*.
- **Pervasiveness:** It is available in almost every major Linux distribution repository (Arch, Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, Ubuntu, openSUSE) and BSD ports.
- **Multi-platform Availability:** While focused on Unix-like systems, it has ports for macOS (MacPorts, Homebrew) and Windows (Chocolatey).
- **Version History:** The project has maintained active development since 2005, with frequent stable releases (e.g., versions 0.52 through 0.56 released in 2017).

## Body

### Development and Origin
Poppler is a free software library designed for rendering PDF files. It was created to fulfill the need for a modular PDF rendering engine that could be shared among multiple desktop applications. The project is based on Xpdf, an older PDF viewer. The codebase was adapted and is maintained by freedesktop.org. Poppler is distinct for being named after "The Problem with Popplers," a specific pop culture reference noted in its official documentation. The library was initially published in 2005.

### Technical Specifications
The software is written in C++ (referenced as Q2407). It is licensed under the GNU General Public License, ensuring it remains free software. Its primary operating environment consists of Linux and Unix-like operating systems. Poppler functions as a backend for various graphical applications; specifically, the source notes it requires or runs alongside "GNOME Papers," a document viewer for the GNOME desktop.

### Distribution and Availability
Poppler is widely distributed across various operating system repositories, indicating its fundamental role in software dependency chains.
- **Linux Distributions:** It is available as a core package in Arch Linux (`poppler`, `poppler-glib`, `poppler-qt5`), Debian (`libpoppler64`), Fedora (`poppler`), Gentoo (`app-text/poppler`), openSUSE (`poppler`), and Ubuntu (`libpoppler68`).
- **BSD Systems:** It is available in FreeBSD (`graphics/poppler`), NetBSD (`print/poppler`), and OpenBSD (`print/poppler`).
- **Other Systems:** It is available via Homebrew and MacPorts for macOS, and Chocolatey for Windows.

### Version History
Development has been consistent over more than a decade.
- **2005:** Version 0.2.0 was released on April 5.
- **2014:** Version 0.26.5 was released on September 27.
- **2016:** Versions 0.41.0 (Feb 16) and 0.49.0 (Nov 15) were released.
- **2017:** A series of stable releases occurred, including 0.52 (Feb 16), 0.53 (Mar 19), 0.54 (Apr 21), 0.55 (May 21), and 0.56 (June 1).

The project maintains a public issue tracker and mailing list archives dating back to March 2005.

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Poppler",
  "description": "A free software PDF rendering library based on Xpdf, developed by freedesktop.org.",
  "url": "https://poppler.freedesktop.org/",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q206855",
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppler_(software)"
  ],
  "additionalType": "SoftwareLibrary"
}

## References

1. [Source](https://poppler.freedesktop.org/)
2. [The poppler Open Source Project on Open Hub: Languages Page. Open Hub](https://www.openhub.net/p/poppler/analyses/latest/languages_summary)
3. [Source](https://poppler.freedesktop.org/releases.html)
4. [Poppler](https://poppler.freedesktop.org/releases.html)
5. [Poppler Releases](https://poppler.freedesktop.org/releases.html)
6. [Poppler 0.82.0 released. 2019](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2019-October/014027.html)
7. [Source](https://cgit.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/tag/?h=poppler-0.82.0)
8. [Releases](https://poppler.freedesktop.org/releases.html)
9. [Release v21.01.0](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-21.01.0)
10. [Tag v21.02.0](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-21.02.0)
11. [Tag poppler-21.03.0](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-21.03.0)
12. [2022](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-22.04.0)
13. [Poppler 22.05.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2022-May/015227.html)
14. [Poppler 22.06.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2022-June/015249.html)
15. [Poppler 22.07.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2022-July/015263.html)
16. [Poppler 22.08.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2022-August/015278.html)
17. [Poppler 22.09.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2022-August/015313.html)
18. [Poppler 22.10.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2022-October/015332.html)
19. [Poppler 22.11.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2022-November/015346.html)
20. [Source](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2022-December/015356.html)
21. [[poppler] Poppler 23.01.0 released. 2023](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2023-January/015385.html)
22. [Poppler 23.02.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2023-February/015396.html)
23. [Poppler 23.03.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2023-March/015402.html)
24. [Poppler 23.05.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2023-May/015476.html)
25. [Poppler 23.06.0 release](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2023-June/015510.html)
26. [Poppler 23.07.0 released. 2023](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2023-July/015546.html)
27. [Source](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2023-August/015562.html)
28. [Poppler 23.10.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2023-October/015576.html)
29. [The poppler Archives November 2023:. 2023](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/)
30. [Poppler 23.12.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2023-December/015582.html)
31. [Poppler 24.01.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2024-January/015586.html)
32. [Poppler 24.02.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2024-February/015587.html)
33. [Poppler 24.03.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2024-March/015588.html)
34. [Poppler 24.04.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2024-April/015589.html)
35. [Source](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2024-May/015594.html)
36. [Poppler 24.06.0 released](https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/poppler/2024-June/015596.html)
37. [Source](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-24.06.1)
38. [poppler-24.07.0. 2024](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-24.07.0)
39. [poppler-24.08.0. 2024](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-24.08.0)
40. [poppler-24.09.0. 2024](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-24.09.0)
41. [poppler-24.12.0. 2024](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-24.12.0)
42. [poppler 25.01.0. 2025](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-25.01.0)
43. [poppler 25.02.0. 2025](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-25.02.0)
44. [poppler-25.03.0 · Tags · poppler / poppler · GitLab. 2025](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-25.03.0)
45. [poppler-25.05.0 · Tags · poppler / poppler · GitLab. 2025](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-25.05.0)
46. [poppler-25.08.0 · Tags · poppler / poppler · GitLab. 2025](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-25.08.0)
47. [poppler-25.09.0 · Tags · poppler / poppler · GitLab](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-25.09.0)
48. [poppler-25.09.1 · Tags · poppler / poppler · GitLab](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-25.09.1)
49. [poppler-25.10.0 · Tags · poppler / poppler · GitLab](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-25.10.0)
50. [poppler-25.11.0 · Tags · poppler / poppler · GitLab](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/-/tags/poppler-25.11.0)