llama.cpp
App : A product you use directly
The C/C++ inference engine behind Ollama, LM Studio, and most local AI tools.
Indispensable behind the scenes, worth using directly only if you are comfortable with the command line.
Security reflects where data goes, requested permissions and incidents on record at the verification date. It is not a guarantee of zero risk: check the deployment mode and the connections you enable.
What it does, concretely
Running a large language model on your own computer usually requires significant resources and complex setup. llama.cpp solves this by providing an inference engine written in pure C/C++, with no external dependencies, capable of running LLM and VLM models on ordinary hardware, both locally and in the cloud.
In practice, llama.cpp loads models in GGUF format and runs them by leveraging the CPU, GPU, or both simultaneously. It supports quantization from 1.5 to 8 bits to reduce memory requirements, and relies on various backends: Metal for Apple Silicon, CUDA for Nvidia GPUs, HIP for AMD, Vulkan, OpenCL, and more. A command-line interface and an OpenAI-compatible API server are included out of the box.
llama.cpp is aimed at developers, researchers, and advanced users who want to run models locally with full control over configuration. It is also the engine running behind the scenes in tools like Ollama or LM Studio, without end users needing to install it directly.
It is not suited for people looking for a simple graphical interface or who are not comfortable with the command line. Installation and configuration require a minimum level of technical knowledge.
What it offers
- ·Local inference of LLM and VLM models in pure C/C++, with no external dependencies.
- ·Model quantization from 1.5 to 8 bits to reduce memory usage and speed up execution.
- ·Support for many hardware backends: Apple Silicon (Metal), Nvidia GPU (CUDA), AMD GPU (HIP), Vulkan, OpenCL, RISC-V, and more.
- ·Hybrid CPU+GPU inference to run models larger than the available VRAM.
- ·Built-in server compatible with the OpenAI API, accessible via the llama serve command.
- ·Command-line interface (llama cli) allowing you to download and run a model directly from Hugging Face.
- ·Built-in web UI available when using the llama serve server.
- ·Cross-platform support: macOS, Windows, Linux, Docker, and even Android.
In practice
- Price
- Free
- Commercial use
- Commercial use: yes
- Available on
- macos, windows, linux, cli
- Licence
- MIT
Security and data
- Rating
- Security: nothing to flag
- Your data
- Data stays local
- Maintenance
- Active
- Last release
- 15 October 2026
Links and repository checked on 25 October 2026 · added on 1 March 2023
How to install llama.cpp
llama cli -hf ggml-org/Qwen3.5-0.8B-GGUF