
LLM inference in C/C++
gpt-oss model with native MXFP4 format has been added | PR | Collaboration with NVIDIA | Commentllama-server: #12898 | documentationGetting started with llama.cpp is straightforward. Here are several ways to install it on your machine:
llama.cpp using brew, nix or wingetOnce installed, you'll need a model to work with. Head to the Obtaining and quantizing models section to learn more.
Example command:
# Use a local model file
llama-cli -m my_model.gguf
# Or download and run a model directly from Hugging Face
llama-cli -hf ggml-org/gemma-3-1b-it-GGUF
# Launch OpenAI-compatible API server
llama-server -hf ggml-org/gemma-3-1b-it-GGUF
The main goal of llama.cpp is to enable LLM inference with minimal setup and state-of-the-art performance on a wide
range of hardware - locally and in the cloud.
The llama.cpp project is the main playground for developing new features for the ggml library.
Typically finetunes of the base models below are supported as well.
Instructions for adding support for new models: HOWTO-add-model.md
(to have a project listed here, it should clearly state that it depends on llama.cpp)
| Backend | Target devices |
|---|---|
| Metal | Apple Silicon |
| BLAS | All |
| BLIS | All |
| SYCL | Intel and Nvidia GPU |
| MUSA | Moore Threads GPU |
| CUDA | Nvidia GPU |
| HIP | AMD GPU |
| Vulkan | GPU |
| CANN | Ascend NPU |
| OpenCL | Adreno GPU |
| WebGPU [In Progress] | All |
| RPC | All |
The Hugging Face platform hosts a number of LLMs compatible with llama.cpp:
You can either manually download the GGUF file or directly use any llama.cpp-compatible models from Hugging Face or other model hosting sites, such as ModelScope, by using this CLI argument: -hf <user>/<model>[:quant]. For example:
llama-cli -hf ggml-org/gemma-3-1b-it-GGUF
By default, the CLI would download from Hugging Face, you can switch to other options with the environment variable MODEL_ENDPOINT. For example, you may opt to downloading model checkpoints from ModelScope or other model sharing communities by setting the environment variable, e.g. MODEL_ENDPOINT=https://www.modelscope.cn/.
After downloading a model, use the CLI tools to run it locally - see below.
llama.cpp requires the model to be stored in the GGUF file format. Models in other data formats can be converted to GGUF using the convert_*.py Python scripts in this repo.
The Hugging Face platform provides a variety of online tools for converting, quantizing and hosting models with llama.cpp:
llama.cpp in the cloud (more info: https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp/discussions/9669)To learn more about model quantization, read this documentation
Models with a built-in chat template will automatically activate conversation mode. If this doesn't occur, you can manually enable it by adding -cnv and specifying a suitable chat template with --chat-template NAME
llama-cli -m model.gguf
# > hi, who are you?
# Hi there! I'm your helpful assistant! I'm an AI-powered chatbot designed to assist and provide information to users like you. I'm here to help answer your questions, provide guidance, and offer support on a wide range of topics. I'm a friendly and knowledgeable AI, and I'm always happy to help with anything you need. What's on your mind, and how can I assist you today?
#
# > what is 1+1?
# Easy peasy! The answer to 1+1 is... 2!
# use the "chatml" template (use -h to see the list of supported templates)
llama-cli -m model.gguf -cnv --chat-template chatml
# use a custom template
llama-cli -m model.gguf -cnv --in-prefix 'User: ' --reverse-prompt 'User:'
To disable conversation mode explicitly, use -no-cnv
llama-cli -m model.gguf -p "I believe the meaning of life is" -n 128 -no-cnv
# I believe the meaning of life is to find your own truth and to live in accordance with it. For me, this means being true to myself and following my passions, even if they don't align with societal expectations. I think that's what I love about yoga – it's not just a physical practice, but a spiritual one too. It's about connecting with yourself, listening to your inner voice, and honoring your own unique journey.
llama-cli -m model.gguf -n 256 --grammar-file grammars/json.gbnf -p 'Request: schedule a call at 8pm; Command:'
# {"appointmentTime": "8pm", "appointmentDetails": "schedule a a call"}
The grammars/ folder contains a handful of sample grammars. To write your own, check out the GBNF Guide.
For authoring more complex JSON grammars, check out https://grammar.intrinsiclabs.ai/
llama-server -m model.gguf --port 8080
# Basic web UI can be accessed via browser: http://localhost:8080
# Chat completion endpoint: http://localhost:8080/v1/chat/completions
# up to 4 concurrent requests, each with 4096 max context
llama-server -m model.gguf -c 16384 -np 4
# the draft.gguf model should be a small variant of the target model.gguf
llama-server -m model.gguf -md draft.gguf
# use the /embedding endpoint
llama-server -m model.gguf --embedding --pooling cls -ub 8192
# use the /reranking endpoint
llama-server -m model.gguf --reranking
# custom grammar
llama-server -m model.gguf --grammar-file grammar.gbnf
# JSON
llama-server -m model.gguf --grammar-file grammars/json.gbnf
llama-perplexity -m model.gguf -f file.txt
# [1]15.2701,[2]5.4007,[3]5.3073,[4]6.2965,[5]5.8940,[6]5.6096,[7]5.7942,[8]4.9297, ...
# Final estimate: PPL = 5.4007 +/- 0.67339
# TODO
llama-bench -m model.gguf
# Output:
# | model | size | params | backend | threads | test | t/s |
# | ------------------- | ---------: | ---------: | ---------- | ------: | ------------: | -------------------: |
# | qwen2 1.5B Q4_0 | 885.97 MiB | 1.54 B | Metal,BLAS | 16 | pp512 | 5765.41 ± 20.55 |
# | qwen2 1.5B Q4_0 | 885.97 MiB | 1.54 B | Metal,BLAS | 16 | tg128 | 197.71 ± 0.81 |
#
# build: 3e0ba0e60 (4229)
llama.cpp models. Useful for inferencing. Used with RamaLama 2.llama-run granite-code
llama-simple -m model.gguf
# Hello my name is Kaitlyn and I am a 16 year old girl. I am a junior in high school and I am currently taking a class called "The Art of
llama.cpp repo and merge PRs into the master branchIf your issue is with model generation quality, then please at least scan the following links and papers to understand the limitations of LLaMA models. This is especially important when choosing an appropriate model size and appreciating both the significant and subtle differences between LLaMA models and ChatGPT:
The XCFramework is a precompiled version of the library for iOS, visionOS, tvOS, and macOS. It can be used in Swift projects without the need to compile the library from source. For example:
// swift-tools-version: 5.10
// The swift-tools-version declares the minimum version of Swift required to build this package.
import PackageDescription
let package = Package(
name: "MyLlamaPackage",
targets: [
.executableTarget(
name: "MyLlamaPackage",
dependencies: [
"LlamaFramework"
]),
.binaryTarget(
name: "LlamaFramework",
url: "https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp/releases/download/b5046/llama-b5046-xcframework.zip",
checksum: "c19be78b5f00d8d29a25da41042cb7afa094cbf6280a225abe614b03b20029ab"
)
]
)
The above example is using an intermediate build b5046 of the library. This can be modified
to use a different version by changing the URL and checksum.
Command-line completion is available for some environments.
$ build/bin/llama-cli --completion-bash > ~/.llama-completion.bash
$ source ~/.llama-completion.bash
Optionally this can be added to your .bashrc or .bash_profile to load it
automatically. For example:
$ echo "source ~/.llama-completion.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
llama-server - MIT licensellama-run - BSD 2-Clause License