# Getting started (/getting_started)



LVGL (Light and Versatile Graphics Library) is a free and open-source graphics
library providing everything you need to create an embedded GUI with easy-to-use
mobile-phone-like graphical elements, beautiful visual effects, and a low memory
footprint.

You can think of LVGL as a collection of C and H files that can be dropped into
any project to add UI capabilities to the product.

With the help of consistent and easy-to-learn API functions you can create [widgets](/widgets)
(buttons, sliders, charts, etc), style them, add events, layouts, or animations.

Based on these settings LVGL will render an image (either by using its built-in
software rendering engine or a GPU) and will call a callback function to show
the rendered image on the display. This callback function is the main interface
between LVGL and the display. Most of the porting-related work is focused on
writing such a callback in an effective way.

This chapter will show the basics to give an idea about how LVGL works and how it can be used.
For more details about each feature visit that feature's dedicated documentation page.

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