# Introduction

Libnative is an emulation library that runs Hexagon processor instructions on an
x86 or ARM host, so that code written against Hexagon intrinsics can be built and
run as a native Linux or Windows executable. It is provided as part of the
Hexagon compiler toolchain.

This guide is for developers writing or porting intrinsic-based Hexagon code who
want to build and test it on a host machine.

Important

This release changes the interface substantially: a C++ compiler is now
required, configuration moved to TOML, and one library now serves every
supported architecture version. Readers upgrading from Libnative 21.0 or
earlier should read [Migrate from Libnative 21.0 and prior](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-N3040-23/topic/libnative-ug-migration.html#libnative-migration) before anything else.

## Conventions

Computer text, code names, and code samples appear in a different
font, for example,

printf(“Hello world\n”).

The following notation is used to define command syntax:

- Square brackets enclose optional items, for example, [label].
- **Bold** indicates literal symbols, for example, [**comment**].
- The vertical bar character, |, indicates a choice of items.
- Parentheses enclose a choice of items for example,
(**add** | **del**).
- An ellipsis, … , follows items that can appear more than once.

## Technical assistance

[For assistance or clarification on information in this document,
open a technical support case
at](https://support.qualcomm.com/)
[https://support.qualcomm.com/](https://support.qualcomm.com/).

You will need to register for a Qualcomm ID account and your company must have
support enabled to access our Case system.

Other systems and support resources are listed on <[https://qualcomm.com/support](https://qualcomm.com/support)>`\_\_
[https://qualcomm.com/support/](https://qualcomm.com/support/).

If you need further assistance, you can send an email to
[qualcomm.support@qti.qualcomm.com.](mailto:qualcomm.support%40qti.qualcomm.com)

Last Published: Oct 06, 2026

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