/gdextension

name: gdextension
description: Use when building native extensions for Godot — godot-cpp (C++) or gdext (Rust), binding classes, building, and GDScript/C# interop

GDExtension

Run native C++ (or Rust) in Godot as a shared library **without recompiling the engine**. Use it for performance-critical code, wrapping existing C/C++ libraries, or language bindings.

> **Related skills:** **csharp-godot** for when C# is enough, **gdscript-advanced** for GDScript performance idioms first, **godot-optimization** for profiling before going native, **addon-development** for distributing the result, **export-pipeline** for shipping the binaries.

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1. When to reach for GDExtension

Reach for GDScript or C# for almost all game logic. Choose GDExtension only when you genuinely need it:

• **Native speed** in a hot loop that GDScript/C# can't keep up with (profile first — see **godot-optimization**).
• **Wrapping a C/C++ library** you must call directly.
• **Building a language binding**.

Contrast with **C++ modules**, which are compiled *into* the engine and therefore require shipping a custom engine binary. GDExtension's key advantage is that it runs against a **stock** Godot — you distribute just a shared library. It is "more complicated to use than GDScript and C#," so don't reach for it by default.

> ⚠️ **Changed in Godot 4.7:** The engine's built-in text servers (`text_server_adv`, `text_server_fb`) can no longer be built as GDExtensions — their `gdextension_build/` scripts were removed. Writing your own text server as a GDExtension by subclassing `TextServerExtension` is unaffected. See [GH-117056](https://github.com/godotengine/godot/pull/117056).

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2. Project & build setup

mkdir gdextension_example && cd gdextension_example
git init
# IMPORTANT: use the godot-cpp branch matching your target engine version (e.g. 4.3),
# not the literal "4.x".
git submodule add -b 4.3 https://github.com/godotengine/godot-cpp
cd godot-cpp && git submodule update --init && cd ..

Directory layout:

gdextension_example/
├── project/                # demo project to test the extension
│   └── bin/example.gdextension
├── godot-cpp/              # C++ bindings (submodule)
└── src/
    ├── register_types.{h,cpp}
    └── gdexample.{h,cpp}

Build with `scons platform=<platform>` (omit the platform to target the current one; default build is **debug**). The official `SConstruct` is a downloadable file from the C++ tutorial rather than hand-rolled here — follow godot-cpp's build docs. SCons is the official path; godot-cpp also supports CMake.

> **Godot 4.7+:** Upstream's reference GDExtension interface files (e.g. `gdextension_interface.h`) now live in the godot-headers repository instead of godot-cpp ([GH-115401](https://github.com/godotengine/godot/pull/115401)). godot-cpp consumes them from there, so the submodule workflow above is unchanged — this only matters if you vendor the raw interface headers directly (e.g. for a custom language binding).

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3. Binding a class (C++)

Header (`gdexample.h`):

#pragma once
#include <godot_cpp/classes/sprite2d.hpp>

namespace godot {
class GDExample : public Sprite2D {
    GDCLASS(GDExample, Sprite2D)
private:
    double time_passed = 0.0;
    double amplitude = 10.0;
    double speed = 1.0;
protected:
    static void _bind_methods();
public:
    void _process(double delta) override;
    void set_amplitude(double p_amplitude);
    double get_amplitude() const;
    void set_speed(double p_speed);
    double get_speed() const;
};
}

Bindings (`gdexample.cpp` — `_bind_methods`):

void GDExample::_bind_methods() {
    ClassDB::bind_method(D_METHOD("get_amplitude"), &GDExample::get_amplitude);
    ClassDB::bind_method(D_METHOD("set_amplitude", "p_amplitude"), &GDExample::set_amplitude);
    ADD_PROPERTY(PropertyInfo(Variant::FLOAT, "amplitude"), "set_amplitude", "get_amplitude");

    ClassDB::bind_method(D_METHOD("get_speed"), &GDExample::get_speed);
    ClassDB::bind_method(D_METHOD("set_speed", "p_speed"), &GDExample::set_speed);
    ADD_PROPERTY(PropertyInfo(Variant::FLOAT, "speed", PROPERTY_HINT_RANGE, "0,20,0.01"),
                 "set_speed", "get_speed");

    ADD_SIGNAL(MethodInfo("position_changed",
               PropertyInfo(Variant::OBJECT, "node"),
               PropertyInfo(Variant::VECTOR2, "new_pos")));
}

The patterns:

• **`GDCLASS(Class, Parent)`** — first line of every native class body; wires up the type into Godot's `ClassDB`.
• **`ClassDB::bind_method(D_METHOD("name", "arg"), &Class::method)`** — exposes a method (and names its arguments) so GDScript/C#/the editor can call it.
• **`ADD_PROPERTY(PropertyInfo(...), setter, getter)`** — registers an Inspector property; bind the getter and setter *first*, then reference them here by name.
• **`PROPERTY_HINT_RANGE`** with `"0,20,0.01"` turns the Inspector field into a slider (min, max, step).
• **`ADD_SIGNAL(MethodInfo("name", PropertyInfo(...), ...))`** — declares a signal with typed arguments; emit it from code with `emit_signal("position_changed", this, new_pos)`.

> ⚠️ **Changed in Godot 4.7:** The GDExtension interface functions `object_cast_to` and `classdb_get_class_tag` are deprecated in favor of `is_class`-based casts. Binding libraries such as godot-cpp handle this internally — but native code that calls these interface functions directly should migrate its cast paths. See [GH-119254](https://github.com/godotengine/godot/pull/119254).

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4. Entry point & the .gdextension file

Entry point (`register_types.cpp`):

void initialize_example_module(ModuleInitializationLevel p_level) {
    if (p_level != MODULE_INITIALIZATION_LEVEL_SCENE) return;
    GDREGISTER_CLASS(GDExample);
}
void uninitialize_example_module(ModuleInitializationLevel p_level) {
    if (p_level != MODULE_INITIALIZATION_LEVEL_SCENE) return;
}
extern "C" {
GDExtensionBool GDE_EXPORT example_library_init(
    GDExtensionInterfaceGetProcAddress p_get_proc_add