/System/Library/Frameworks

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A framework is a dynamic library and resources for that library, such as images and localization strings. Frameworks have the file extension .framework.

In iOS there are two kinds of frameworks: public frameworks and private frameworks. Public frameworks are allowed to be used in App Store apps. Private frameworks are intended to be used only by Apple's apps, and are more unstable against firmware changes, but many of the interesting features are in the private frameworks.

Since iOS 3.1, all default (private and public) libraries have been combined into a big cache file in /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.dyld/dyld_shared_cache_armX to improve performance. See dyld_shared_cache for more details. The original libraries are no longer useful for non-on-device-developers, so they are eliminated from the system. The framework folders still contain other resources, such as localization strings.

Private Frameworks

See /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks.

Public Frameworks

Resources for public frameworks can be found inside /System/Library/Frameworks.

Framework 1.x 2.x 3.x 4.x 5.x 6.x 7.x 8.x 9.x 10.x 11.x 12.x 14.x Prefix Language Description
Accelerate No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes cblas, vDSP C Vector and Matrix math, digital signal processing, large number handling, and image processing
Accounts No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes AC Obj-C Provides access to accounts in the Accounts database. Allows creation of accounts if none exist. Only Twitter is available in iOS 5.0 and later.
AddressBook Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes AB Obj-C Provides access to the Address Book database.
AddressBookUI Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
AdSupport No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes AS Obj-C Provides access to identifiers for serving adverts and a flag that indicates if limited tracking is on.
ARKit No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Introduced in iPhone OS 11.x.
AppSupport Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
AppleBasebandManager No No No No No No Yes No No No No No No
ArtworkCache Partial No No No No No No No No No No No No Introduced in iPhone OS 1.1.x.
AssetsLibrary No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes AL Obj-C Used to access pictures and videos managed by the Photos application. Deprecated; use PhotoKit
AudioToolbox Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes AU, Audio -- Provides interfaces for recording, playback, stream parsing, and managing audio sessions. Part of CoreAudio.
AudioUnit No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes AU, Audio -- Interfaces for the loading of audio units and their use.
AuthenticationServices No No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes AS
AVFoundation No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes AV Obj-C Used for playing and recording audio and video.
AVKit No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes AV
BluetoothManager Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
BusinessChat No No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes
Calculate Partial No No No No No No No No No No No No Introduced in iPhone OS 1.1.x.
Calendar Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
CallKit No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes CX
Camera Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
CarPlay No No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes CP
Celestial Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
CFNetwork Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CF C Interfaces for high-performance networking.
ClassKit No No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes CLS
CloudKit No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CK
Contacts No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
ContactsUI No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CN
CoreAudio Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Audio C++ Declares constants and data-types used by other interfaces in CoreAudio.
CoreAudioKit No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Audio
CoreBluetooth No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CB Obj-C Provides access to Bluetooth peripherals (hardware).
CoreData No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes NS Obj-C Interfaces for application data model manipulation.
CoreFoundation Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CF C Basic data management and services.
CoreGraphics Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CG C APIs to interface with the Quartz engine, allows 2D rendering, etc.
CoreImage No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CI Obj-C Interfaces for manipulating images and video.
CoreLocation No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CL Obj-C Interfaces for determining location.
CoreMedia No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CM C Low-level routines for manipulating audio and video.
CoreMIDI No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes MIDI Obj-C Routines for handling MIDI data. Only available in iOS 4.2 and later. Part of CoreAudio.
CoreML No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Introduced in iOS 11.x.
CoreMotion No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CM Obj-C, C++ Interfaces for accessing accelerometer and gyrometric data.
CoreNFC No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Introduced in iOS 11.x.
CoreServices No No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes
CoreSpotlight No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
CoreSurface Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
CoreTelephony (CoreTelephony) Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CT Obj-C Allows access to Carrier information and information pertaining to a current call.
CoreText No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CT C++ Text layout and rendering engine.
CoreVideo Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CV -- Low-level routines for manipulating audio and video - Apple advises not to use this framework directly, and although public doesn't document much of it.
DeviceCheck No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Introduced in iOS 11.x.
DeviceLink Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
EventKit No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes EK Obj-C Interfaces for accessing Calendar event data. This is a replacement for the older Calendar.framework.
EventKitUI No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes EK Obj-C Classes for system graphical interfaces.
ExternalAccessory No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes EA Obj-C Interfaces for communication with attached external accessories via 30-pin dock or Bluetooth. Lightning is not yet mentioned by Apple in documentation.
FileProvider No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Introduced in iOS 11.x.
FileProviderUI No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Introduced in iOS 11.x.
Foundation Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes NS Obj-C Objective-C wrappers to features found in CoreFoundation with extra features and functionality not covered by Objective-C.
GameController No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GameKit No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes GK Obj-C Manages P2P connectivity. With iOS 4.1 and later, GameKit can be used with Game Center (an extension to the framework) to create social games.
GameplayKit No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes GK Obj-C Manages P2P connectivity. With iOS 4.1 and later, GameKit can be used with Game Center (an extension to the framework) to create social games.
GLKit No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes GLK Obj-C Utility classes for building OpenGL ES applications.
GMM Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
GraphicsServices Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
GSS No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes gss -- Security related services - Apple advises to look at the headers as they provide no documentation.
HealthKit No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
HealthKitUI No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
HomeKit No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
iAD No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes AD Obj-c
IAP Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No Classes for displaying advertisements.
IdentityLookup No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Introduced in iOS 11.x.
IdentityLookupUI No No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes
ImageIO No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CG C++ Input and output for images. Part of CoreGraphics.
Intents No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
IntentsUI No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
IOKit Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes -- C++ Low-level framework for communicating with the kernel and hardware. Apple advises not to use this framework directly and will reject it from the App Store.
IOMobileFramebuffer Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
IOSurface No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Introduced in iOS 11.x.
ITSync Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
iTunesStore Partial No No No No No No No No No No No No Introduced in iPhone OS 1.1.x.
JavaScriptCore Yes No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
LayerKit Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No LK LayerKit is the old name for CoreAnimation/QuartzCore
LocalAuthentication No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
MapKit No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes MK Obj-C Classes for embedding Map graphical interfaces. Before iOS 5.1, Google Mobile Maps was used to provide map data; afterwards, Apple provided the map data.
MBX2D Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
MBXConnect Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
MeCCA Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
MediaAccessibility No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
MediaPlayer No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes MP Obj-C Provides facilities to play audio, and video. Also allows access to the iPod or Music library.
MediaToolbox No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes MT C++ Apple has no reference as of writing, but headers appear to suggest this framework deals with audio processing.
Message Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
Messages No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
MessageUI Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes MF Obj-C Interfaces for SMS and Mail compose view controllers without leaving the application.
Metal No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
MetalKit No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
MetalPerformanceShaders No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
MobileBluetooth Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
MobileCoreServices No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes UT C Defines UTIs supported by the system.
MobileMusicPlayer Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
ModelIO No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
MultipeerConnectivity No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
MoviePlayerUI Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
MultitouchSupport Yes No No No No No No No No No No Yes No
MusicLibrary Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
NaturalLanguage No No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes
Network No No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes
NetworkExtension No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
NewsstandKit No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes NK Obj-C Interfaces for downloading Newsstand application content.
NotificationCenter No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
OfficeImport Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
OpenAL No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes AL C++ Interface for the cross-platform audio library.
OpenGLES Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes EAGL, GL C Interface for the OpenGL ES library.
PassKit No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes PK Obj-C Interfaces for creation of Passes for Passbook.app and Wallet.app.
PDFKit No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Introduced in iOS 11.x.
Photos No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
PhotosUI No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
PhotoLibrary Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
Preferences Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
PushKit No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
QuartzCore No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CA Obj-C Contains the CoreAnimation interfaces.
QuickLook No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes QL Obj-C Interfaces for previewing files of unknown formats.
ReplayKit No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
SafariServices No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes SF
SceneKit No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Security Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CSSM, Sec Obj-C Interfaces for managing keys, trust policies, and certificates.
Social No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes SL Obj-C Interfaces for interacting with social accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Speech No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
SpriteKit No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
StoreKit No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes SK Obj-C Interfaces for handling in-app purchase transactions.
System Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
SystemConfiguration Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes SC C++ Interfaces for determining network availability.
TelephonyUI Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
Twitter No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes TW Obj-C Interfaces for sending tweets.
UIKit Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes UI Obj-C Classes for iOS UI elements and for the user interface layer of applications.
URLify Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
UserNotifications No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
UserNotificationsUI No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
VideoSubscriberAccount No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
VideoToolbox No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes -- -- Interfaces used by the device. Apple states not to include this framework directly.
Vision No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Introduced in iOS 11.x.
VisualVoicemail Partial No No No No No No No No No No No No Introduced in iPhone OS 1.1.x.
WatchConnectivity No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
WatchKit No No No No No No No 8.2+ Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Interfaces for connectivity between iOS apps and Apple Watch.
WebCore Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No
WebKit Yes No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes WK

Files

  • (none)

Parents

(root)/System/Library