zig-v4l2

Typed Video4Linux2 bindings for Zig.

Provides idiomatic Zig types and constants for the full V4L2 API surface: capabilities, buffers, formats, controls, events, tuners, subdevices, media topology, and more.

Linux only. Requires V4L2 kernel headers (linux/videodev2.h).

Installation

1. Add the dependency

zig fetch --save git+https://github.com/pierrelgol/zig-v4l2#main

This adds zig_v4l2 to your build.zig.zon.

2. Wire it up in build.zig

const zig_v4l2 = b.dependency("zig_v4l2", .{
    .target = target,
    .optimize = optimize,
});

// Import the module into your executable / library:
exe.root_module.addImport("z4l2", zig_v4l2.module("z4l2"));

Cross-compilation / non-standard header location

If your V4L2 headers are not under /usr/include/<linux-triple>/, pass the header-path option (relative to /usr/include):

zig build -Dheader-path=arm-linux-gnueabihf

Usage

const z4l2 = @import("z4l2");

// Query device capabilities
var cap: z4l2.capability.Capability = undefined;
// ... fill via ioctl VIDIOC_QUERYCAP ...

// Work with pixel formats
const fmt: z4l2.pixel.PixelFormat = .yuyv;

// Work with controls — IDs are exported directly from z4l2.control
const brightness_id = z4l2.control.brightness;

See src/demo.zig for a working example that queries and prints capability information for a V4L2 device.

zig build run                      # queries /dev/video0
zig build run -- /dev/video1       # queries a specific device

API overview

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

AI disclosure

Once the core bindings were hand-written and working, Claude and Codex were used as batch-processing tools for mechanical refactoring work: splitting the original monolithic binding file into the smaller, namespaced modules you see under src/v4l2/, batch-writing ABI-level tests, and drafting inline documentation for the generated types. All design decisions, the binding implementation itself, and review of the generated output were done by hand.

This library is still early. There are likely rough edges, missing coverage, and bugs. If you run into anything, feel free to open an issue or send a pull request — contributions are welcome.