Get started with the igraph library

Install and start using the igraph library

igraph uses a CMake-based build system from version 0.9.0. It can be compiled and installed with the following list of commands:

mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
cmake --build .
cmake --install .

igraph is also available in several package managers:

  • vcpkg: vcpkg install igraph
  • MacPorts (macOS): sudo port install igraph
  • Homebrew (macOS): brew install igraph

See the Installation chapter of the manual for more detailed instructions for building igraph from source. Windows-specific instructions are also provided there.

Note that igraph requires a dedicated build folder; in-tree builds are not supported.

 Tutorials

  • The source code comes with some examples (some of which are also used for testing). You can find them in the examples/simple directory.
  • Most of the examples are also included in the Reference Manual.

  C Reference Manual

The original XML DocBook format of the C Reference Manual can be obtained by downloading and building the latest igraph development version from GitHub.

 Current release – version 0.10.15

  Development version

Clone (or fork) the develop branch from the igraph git repository on GitHub.

 igraph support forum

Post your question on the igraph support forum. Make sure that you include a minimal reproducible example, complete with code and data.

 Stack Overflow

Post specific igraph questions on Stack Overflow. Make sure that you include the igraph tag and that you include a minimal reproducible example, complete with code and data.

  Report bugs

Report bugs or suggest new features or algorithms in the GitHub issue tracker.

Your contribution is more than welcome!

  Contribute code

Send a pull request on GitHub. Please note that igraph can contain only code that is compatible with its GPL license. See our guide on contributions to the igraph C library at GitHub.