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OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-platform, open-source application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics. It provides a standardized set of functions that developers use to communicate with and control a computer's graphics hardware, or Graphics Processing Unit (GPU).

How OpenGL works: As an API, OpenGL serves as an abstraction layer between a programmer and the complexities of different graphics hardware. Here is a basic overview of its process:

Application code (client): A program issues commands through the OpenGL API.

Driver implementation (server): A graphics driver provided by the hardware vendor translates the OpenGL function calls into specific instructions that the GPU can understand.

Graphics processing (rendering pipeline): The GPU then uses a rendering pipeline—a sequence of steps—to transform geometric data into a final 2D image on the screen.

Display: The rendered image is sent to the display for viewing. This process allows a developer to write graphics code that runs on any system with an OpenGL-compliant driver, regardless of the underlying hardware.