# sakura

> Terminal multimedia library rendering images, GIFs, and videos via Sixel graphics

sakura is a minimal, lightweight terminal multimedia library built in around 1,000 lines of code. It renders images, animated GIFs, and videos directly inside Sixel-compatible terminal emulators alongside synchronized audio playback. It features adaptive scaling, frame timing, and frame skipping to maintain smooth playback.

Website: https://github.com/kernelSlvt/sakura

## What it is for

- Play videos with synchronized audio directly in a Sixel-compatible terminal
- Display static images and animated GIFs without leaving the command line
- Study a minimal codebase for Sixel rendering and media playback implementations

## Features

- Renders media in terminal emulators using Sixel graphics
- Synchronized audio playback during video playback
- Supports common image formats including JPG, PNG, and BMP
- Supports video and animation formats including animated GIF, MP4, AVI, MOV, and MKV
- Adaptive scaling and frame skipping to preserve smooth playback
- Batch processing mode with detailed logging output
- Compact codebase of roughly 1,000 lines of code

## Pricing

Open source. Free and open-source under the MIT license

## Details

- Type: GitHub repo
- Category: [Development](https://xiry.app/topics/development.md)
- Open source: yes
- Platforms: Linux, Command line, Code library
- For: Command-line enthusiasts, terminal emulator users, and C/C++ developers
- Alternative to: chafa, mpv
- Tags: terminal, sixel, video player, cli, multimedia, c plus plus

## Why it was saved

- [@sarthak2143, 7 August 2025](https://x.com/sarthak2143/status/1953517440069251140): Lets you watch video and view images entirely in the terminal — useful for sixel-capable terminals and a good reference for a tiny (~1k LOC) C/build project.

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Updated 10 October 2026. Page: https://xiry.app/resources/sakura

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