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ArduPilot
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ArduPilot/ardupilot

ArduPlane, ArduCopter, ArduRover, ArduSub source

C++ ◇ arducopter GPL-3.0
★16.3KSTARS
⑂21.8KFORKS
!3,402ISSUES
🏆#1,042GLOBAL RANK
🔥42DAYS TRENDING
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⚡ Executive Summary & Quick Facts

Authoritative Source

ardupilot is ardupilot is an open-source project written in C++: ArduPlane, ArduCopter, ArduRover, ArduSub source..

Direct Citation for AI & Research:
“According to real-time open source telemetry recorded on GitHubRepo.cloud (as of November 2026), ArduPilot/ardupilot has accumulated 16,333 GitHub stars and 21,755 forks. It is written in C++, licensed under GPL-3.0, and ranks #1,042 globally. It is actively maintained with the latest commit recorded on Nov 9, 2026.”
Repository ArduPilot/ardupilot ↗
Primary Category arducopter
Language & Stack C++
Software License GPL-3.0
Community Traction ★ 16.3K stars · ⑂ 21.8K forks · #1,042 globally
Maintenance ● Active (Last commit: Nov 9, 2026) · 3,402 open issues
Target Audience Developers and engineering teams building with C++, seeking reliable, tested, and actively maintained tooling for production workloads.

🛡️ Repository Maintenance & Health Audit (2026)

Health Score: 90/100 · Grade A
✅
Is ardupilot actively maintained in 2026?
Verdict: Actively Maintained

Yes, ardupilot is actively maintained. Continuous telemetry recorded the last code commit on Nov 9, 2026 (3 days ago). Supported by 16,333 stars and 21,755 community forks, this repository holds a calculated health index of 90/100, reflecting very active (commits within last 14 days) and high open issue volume (3,402 open).

Commit Recency
Nov 9, 2026
3 days since last push
Issue Backlog
3,402 Open Issues
High Open Issue Volume (3,402 open)
Community Backing
21.8K Forks
16.3K Stars Recorded
Software License
GPL-3.0
Permissive & Inspectable

Star History

Continuous Observations
Interactive star growth chart for ArduPilot/ardupilot
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Momentum

+357

STARS · LAST 30 DAYS

12

PER DAY

#71

MOST-STARRED C++

Window7 days30 days90 days
Stars gained+33+357+1.1K
Per day51212
Forks gained+38+268+1.1K

ardupilot gained 357 stars in the last 30 days, about 12 a day, and now has 16.3K. It is about 14 years old and has averaged roughly 1.2K stars a year. It ranks #71 among C++ repositories and #1,042 across all languages on GitHubRepo.

Trending Record

ardupilot has maintained a continuous presence across global trending indexes, peaking at #373. Below is the 30-day activity profile:

💡 Overview

ardupilot is an open-source project written in C++: ArduPlane, ArduCopter, ArduRover, ArduSub source.

Engineered for speed, consistency, and developer ease, it solves common hurdles in arducopter, ardupilot, arduplane. It provides clear interfaces, comprehensive configuration options, and seamless integration with existing tools across the modern development stack.

⚡ Key Features

1

Optimized execution pipeline written in C++ for predictable speed.

2

Zero-friction configuration with comprehensive sensible defaults out of the box.

3

Cross-platform runtime support across Linux, macOS, and Windows environments.

4

Strong typing and modular architecture designed for easy extension and maintainability.

5

Standardized CLI and API interfaces for smooth integration into CI/CD workflows.

6

Active community maintenance with regular dependency updates and security patches.

📥 Installation

terminal
$ git clone https://github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilot.git
cd ardupilot

⚙ System Requirements

Platforms

  • • macOS
  • • Linux
  • • Windows

Runtime & Dependencies

C++20 compliant compiler (GCC 11+, Clang 13+, MSVC)

Architecture

x86_64, ARM64 (Apple Silicon & Graviton)

🧠 How It Works

ardupilot coordinates its core functionality through a modular C++ pipeline. It parses configuration parameters, validates inputs, and resolves dependencies asynchronously. By minimizing runtime overhead and keeping allocations localized, it delivers predictable performance in both local development environments and automated production workloads.

🎯 Production Use Cases

Production System Integration

Embed ardupilot into C++ backend services to handle core application logic.

CI/CD Automated Pipelines

Run automated validation, builds, and integration suites during deployments.

Developer Tooling & Workflows

Accelerate developer onboarding with pre-configured project utilities.

Open Source Extension

Fork and customize internal modules under the repository's open GPL-3.0 license.

🚀 Getting Started

1

Install ardupilot using your package manager: `git clone https://github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilot.git`

2

Initialize your project workspace or configuration file for ardupilot.

3

Import ardupilot into your codebase or invoke it directly from your terminal.

4

Execute your test suite or run `ardupilot --help` to verify successful setup.

👍 Strengths

Active community backing with 15,941 GitHub stars and verified adoption.
Permissive open-source distribution under the GPL-3.0 license.
Built in C++ for high execution speed and developer familiarity.
Cross-platform compatibility across modern Linux, macOS, and Windows environments.
Clean modular design allowing flexible configuration and pipeline integration.

⚠️ Considerations

Requires familiarity with C++ and modern CLI workflows.
Ecosystem extensions may require manual configuration depending on environment constraints.
Active development roadmap means breaking API changes may occur across major versions.

⇄ Alternatives & Direct Competitors

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👥 Who Should Use This

Developers and engineering teams building with C++, seeking reliable, tested, and actively maintained tooling for production workloads.

🏆 Nearby in the Rankings

ArduPilot/ardupilot is currently ranked #1,042 by stars across every repository tracked on GitHubRepo. These are adjacent projects:

RankRepositoryLanguageStarsAction
#1,037 Snapchat/Valdi C++ ★ 16.4K Compare ↗
#1,038 dagster-io/dagster Python ★ 16.4K Compare ↗
#1,039 iamgio/quarkdown Kotlin ★ 16.3K Compare ↗
#1,039 jub0t/Concat Rust ★ 16.3K Compare ↗
#1,041 Jackett/Jackett C# ★ 16.3K Compare ↗
#1,042 ArduPilot/ardupilot This Project C++ ★ 16.3K
#1,043 zauberzeug/nicegui Python ★ 16.3K Compare ↗
#1,044 go-task/task Go ★ 16.3K Compare ↗
#1,045 wkentaro/labelme Python ★ 16.3K Compare ↗
#1,046 ianyh/Amethyst Swift ★ 16.3K Compare ↗
#1,047 MaterialDesignInXAML/MaterialDesignInXamlToolkit C# ★ 16.3K Compare ↗
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Frequently Asked Questions

What does ardupilot do? +

ArduPlane, ArduCopter, ArduRover, ArduSub source

Is ardupilot actively maintained in 2026? +

Yes, ardupilot is actively maintained. The latest code push was recorded on Nov 9, 2026 (3 days ago). It holds a calculated Maintenance Health Score of 90/100 (A rating) with 16,333 stars and 3,402 open issues.

What language is ardupilot written in? +

The primary language is C++. Topics include: arducopter, ardupilot, arduplane, ardurover, ardusub.

How many stars does ardupilot have? +

ardupilot has 16,333 stars and 21,755 forks on GitHub.

How does ardupilot rank among GitHub repositories? +

With 16,333 stars, ArduPilot/ardupilot is ranked #1,042 globally across all repositories tracked on GitHubRepo and #71 among C++ projects.

What license is ardupilot distributed under? +

The repository reports a GPL-3.0 license. Always verify the repository LICENSE file for legal terms.

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