pkg-config

TLDR

Get compiler flags

$ pkg-config --cflags [library]

Get linker flags

$ pkg-config --libs [library]

Get all flags

$ pkg-config --cflags --libs [library]

Check if library exists

$ pkg-config --exists [library] && echo "Found"

Get library version

$ pkg-config --modversion [library]

List all packages

$ pkg-config --list-all

SYNOPSIS

pkg-config [options] [packages]

DESCRIPTION

pkg-config provides library compile/link flags. Build system helper.
The tool retrieves library metadata. Used in build scripts.
pkg-config finds libraries.

PARAMETERS

PACKAGES

Package names.

--cflags

Compiler flags.

--libs

Linker flags.

--exists

Check existence.

--modversion

Show version.

--list-all

List packages.

CAVEATS

Requires .pc files. PKGCONFIGPATH for custom locations.

HISTORY

pkg-config was created to simplify library compilation and linking.