# C project architecture examples

Interactive architecture diagrams of 440 open-source C repositories with a GitDiagram architecture diagram, most stars first. Each diagram shows the project's main components, how they connect, and links every part to its file on GitHub.

Across the 200 most-starred C projects here, the median diagram has 20 components. 45% draw a data store (most often files on disk and a cache), 20% have a command-line interface and 8% a web interface.

17% have a plugin or extension system.

The files their components link to most are main.c (53), server.c (12), CMakeLists.txt (9), core.c (7) and storage.c (6).

Group names that recur: “extensions” (8), “core runtime” (6), “platform services” (6), “runtime support” (6) and “tooling” (6).

## Repositories 1 to 50 of 440

1. [torvalds/linux](https://gitdiagram.com/torvalds/linux) (255k stars): Linux is the kernel at the center of an operating system: it initializes the machine, manages memory and hardware, and provides services used by applications. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/torvalds/linux.md
2. [genymobile/scrcpy](https://gitdiagram.com/genymobile/scrcpy) (152k stars): scrcpy is a desktop application for mirroring Android video and audio and controlling the device over USB or TCP/IP; OTG supports physical-input simulation without debugging. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/genymobile/scrcpy.md
3. [microsoft/powertoys](https://gitdiagram.com/microsoft/powertoys) (141k stars): PowerToys is a Windows utility suite: users launch utilities through the resident Runner, configure them in Settings, and use their features in everyday Windows workflows. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/microsoft/powertoys.md
4. [ventoy/ventoy](https://gitdiagram.com/ventoy/ventoy) (77k stars): Ventoy is not a single app; it is a bootable USB ecosystem. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/ventoy/ventoy.md
5. [redis/redis](https://gitdiagram.com/redis/redis) (76.5k stars): Redis is an in-memory data-structure and key-value server. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/redis/redis.md
6. [obsproject/obs-studio](https://gitdiagram.com/obsproject/obs-studio) (73.4k stars): 1. Repository purpose and top-level shape Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/obsproject/obs-studio.md
7. [ffmpeg/ffmpeg](https://gitdiagram.com/ffmpeg/ffmpeg) (65.9k stars): FFmpeg is a multimedia processing suite: command-line tools manipulate, convert, stream, play, and inspect media using libraries for codecs, formats, filtering, devices, audio… Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/ffmpeg/ffmpeg.md
8. [git/git](https://gitdiagram.com/git/git) (64.1k stars): Git is a distributed revision-control system whose command set covers repository setup, everyday changes, history inspection, branching and merging, and sharing work with other… Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/git/git.md
9. [justvugg/colibri](https://gitdiagram.com/justvugg/colibri) (48.3k stars): colibrì is a local inference product for running large language, image, and decision models on consumer machines. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/justvugg/colibri.md
10. [deusdata/codebase-memory-mcp](https://gitdiagram.com/deusdata/codebase-memory-mcp) (44.2k stars): codebase-memory-mcp is a local code-intelligence engine and MCP server for coding agents. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/deusdata/codebase-memory-mcp.md
11. [tmux/tmux](https://gitdiagram.com/tmux/tmux) (43.7k stars) Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/tmux/tmux.md
12. [curl/curl](https://gitdiagram.com/curl/curl) (43.3k stars): curl is a command-line data-transfer client built on libcurl, which is also exposed as a reusable library. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/curl/curl.md
13. [php/php-src](https://gitdiagram.com/php/php-src) (41.7k stars): PHP is a general-purpose scripting-language interpreter with bundled extensions. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/php/php-src.md
14. [pbatard/rufus](https://gitdiagram.com/pbatard/rufus) (37.7k stars): Rufus is a Windows utility for formatting removable or virtual media and producing bootable installation drives. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/pbatard/rufus.md
15. [raysan5/raylib](https://gitdiagram.com/raysan5/raylib) (34.8k stars): raylib is a C game-programming library. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/raysan5/raylib.md
16. [nothings/stb](https://gitdiagram.com/nothings/stb) (34.7k stars): stb is a collection of independently embedded, single-file C/C++ libraries rather than one runtime application. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/nothings/stb.md
17. [mpv-player/mpv](https://gitdiagram.com/mpv-player/mpv) (34.6k stars): IPC interfaces (Unix sockets, Windows IPC) Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/mpv-player/mpv.md
18. [valinet/explorerpatcher](https://gitdiagram.com/valinet/explorerpatcher) (34k stars): ExplorerPatcher modifies the Windows shell to provide a configurable, Windows 10-style desktop experience. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/valinet/explorerpatcher.md
19. [jqlang/jq](https://gitdiagram.com/jqlang/jq) (33.9k stars) Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/jqlang/jq.md
20. [nginx/nginx](https://gitdiagram.com/nginx/nginx) (31.9k stars): NGINX is a configurable web server, reverse proxy, load balancer, API gateway, and content cache. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/nginx/nginx.md
21. [openssl/openssl](https://gitdiagram.com/openssl/openssl) (30.9k stars): OpenSSL is a cryptographic toolkit: applications use its command-line tool or libraries to perform cryptographic, certificate, and secure-transport tasks. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/openssl/openssl.md
22. [cfenollosa/os-tutorial](https://gitdiagram.com/cfenollosa/os-tutorial) (30.3k stars): Bootloader/Boot Sectors: Represent all the early-stage boot code (folders: 01-bootsector-barebones, 02-bootsector-print, …, up to 07-bootsector-disk). Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/cfenollosa/os-tutorial.md
23. [kingtoolbox/windterm](https://gitdiagram.com/kingtoolbox/windterm) (30.3k stars) Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/kingtoolbox/windterm.md
24. [asmvik/yabai](https://gitdiagram.com/asmvik/yabai) (29.7k stars): yabai is a macOS tiling window manager. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/asmvik/yabai.md
25. [openwrt/openwrt](https://gitdiagram.com/openwrt/openwrt) (28.6k stars): OpenWrt is an embedded Linux operating system and firmware-customization framework. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/openwrt/openwrt.md
26. [koekeishiya/yabai](https://gitdiagram.com/koekeishiya/yabai) (28.5k stars): Based on our analysis of the file tree and README, this project is a macOS tiling window manager (named “yabai”). Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/koekeishiya/yabai.md
27. [valdikss/goodbyedpi](https://gitdiagram.com/valdikss/goodbyedpi) (28k stars): This is a systems/network utility application intended to bypass censorship by interfering with DPI. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/valdikss/goodbyedpi.md
28. [facebook/zstd](https://gitdiagram.com/facebook/zstd) (27.9k stars): Zstandard is a lossless compression library with a command-line file utility and compatibility interfaces. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/facebook/zstd.md
29. [valkey-io/valkey](https://gitdiagram.com/valkey-io/valkey) (27.3k stars): Valkey is a high-performance key/value data-structure server. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/valkey-io/valkey.md
30. [xiaojieonly/ehviewer_cn_sxj](https://gitdiagram.com/xiaojieonly/ehviewer_cn_sxj) (27.3k stars): EhViewer is an Android browser for E-Hentai. The user-facing journey is to search or browse galleries, open a gallery and read its images, with downloads available for offline use. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/xiaojieonly/ehviewer_cn_sxj.md
31. [hashcat/hashcat](https://gitdiagram.com/hashcat/hashcat) (27.1k stars): Hashcat is a password-recovery platform. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/hashcat/hashcat.md
32. [libuv/libuv](https://gitdiagram.com/libuv/libuv) (26.7k stars): Libuv is a cross-platform C library providing an asynchronous, callback-driven event loop plus I/O abstractions (TCP/UDP, DNS, FS, timers, signals, threading, IPC). Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/libuv/libuv.md
33. [pjreddie/darknet](https://gitdiagram.com/pjreddie/darknet) (26.4k stars): – Represent the cfg directory, which holds the network configuration files (for various network types, e.g., YOLO, classifier, detector). Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/pjreddie/darknet.md
34. [robertdavidgraham/masscan](https://gitdiagram.com/robertdavidgraham/masscan) (26k stars): MASSCAN is an Internet-scale asynchronous IP/port scanner. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/robertdavidgraham/masscan.md
35. [taosdata/tdengine](https://gitdiagram.com/taosdata/tdengine) (25.1k stars): TDengine is a distributed, cloud-native time-series database for high-volume IoT ingestion, storage, querying, stream processing, subscriptions, and analytics. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/taosdata/tdengine.md
36. [lvgl/lvgl](https://gitdiagram.com/lvgl/lvgl) (24.8k stars): LVGL is a portable embedded UI library. An application creates a widget/object tree, configures its presentation and layout, accepts input, and renders the interface to a display. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/lvgl/lvgl.md
37. [arendst/tasmota](https://gitdiagram.com/arendst/tasmota) (24.8k stars): Tasmota is a PlatformIO-built alternative firmware for ESP8266/ESP32 IoT devices. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/arendst/tasmota.md
38. [handbrake/handbrake](https://gitdiagram.com/handbrake/handbrake) (23.1k stars): HandBrake is a cross-platform video transcoder. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/handbrake/handbrake.md
39. [postgres/postgres](https://gitdiagram.com/postgres/postgres) (22.7k stars): PostgreSQL is an object-relational database server. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/postgres/postgres.md
40. [darkflippers/unleashed-firmware](https://gitdiagram.com/darkflippers/unleashed-firmware) (22.4k stars): Unleashed is custom Flipper Zero firmware: it extends the device’s built-in applications and libraries while aiming to remain compatible with the original firmware’s API and… Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/darkflippers/unleashed-firmware.md
41. [iovisor/bcc](https://gitdiagram.com/iovisor/bcc) (22.3k stars) Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/iovisor/bcc.md
42. [micropython/micropython](https://gitdiagram.com/micropython/micropython) (22.1k stars): MicroPython runs Python scripts on constrained devices and host platforms, exposing a subset of Python plus hardware and system capabilities. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/micropython/micropython.md
43. [thealgorithms/c](https://gitdiagram.com/thealgorithms/c) (21.8k stars): The project under discussion is not a full-stack application or a service but rather an extensive open‐source repository of algorithm implementations written in C. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/thealgorithms/c.md
44. [pgvector/pgvector](https://gitdiagram.com/pgvector/pgvector) (21.5k stars): 1. This repository is a PostgreSQL extension, not an application server. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/pgvector/pgvector.md
45. [jart/cosmopolitan](https://gitdiagram.com/jart/cosmopolitan) (21.4k stars): Cosmopolitan is a portable C/C++ runtime and executable format: users build programs with the external cosmocc toolchain, then run the resulting polyglot executable natively… Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/jart/cosmopolitan.md
46. [gentilkiwi/mimikatz](https://gitdiagram.com/gentilkiwi/mimikatz) (21.4k stars) Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/gentilkiwi/mimikatz.md
47. [fastfetch-cli/fastfetch](https://gitdiagram.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch) (21k stars): Fastfetch is a command-line system information tool (similar to neofetch) that collects hardware and operating system data (e.g., CPU, GPU, memory, OS, network, etc.) and… Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch.md
48. [allinurl/goaccess](https://gitdiagram.com/allinurl/goaccess) (21k stars): GoAccess is a real-time web-log analyzer with terminal and browser-based reporting. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/allinurl/goaccess.md
49. [ish-app/ish](https://gitdiagram.com/ish-app/ish) (20.5k stars): iSH is an iOS Linux shell: it runs Linux userspace programs through x86 user-mode emulation and translates their system calls. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/ish-app/ish.md
50. [awesome-harmonyos/harmonyos](https://gitdiagram.com/awesome-harmonyos/harmonyos) (20k stars): This repository is a curated HarmonyOS resource collection, not a complete HarmonyOS implementation. Markdown: https://gitdiagram.com/awesome-harmonyos/harmonyos.md

Next page: https://gitdiagram.com/architecture-examples/c/2

More hubs: https://gitdiagram.com/architecture-examples

Counted over GitDiagram's stored diagrams of public repositories, from the names their components and groups carry and the files they link to; the rules are the ones in the [2026 open-source architecture report](https://gitdiagram.com/open-source-architecture-2026). Stars are GitHub's when the diagram was last made. Rebuilt daily: hubs grow as more repositories' languages are known.