Welcome, Claudio!
The key to mastering IT is to know specifically what you want to get out of it, technically (i.e. Blood Pressure), then deciding if what you want is static snapshots or continuous trending, before deciding on how best to present or visualize the outputs.
Once you understand what you want, and how you want it, only then should you start “picking at” various GUIs to determine which best suits your intended context and “use cases”.
Eugene gave you a good overview of the GUIs most frequently used/encountered in packages available in Linux.
What are the Top Ten GUIs/APIs on Linux ?
I entered the following search string in Google:
linux which are the top 10 GUI APIs which are most frequently used
Google AI response:
The top 10 Graphical User Interface (GUI) APIs and frameworks most frequently used on Linux include Qt, GTK, and modern cross-platform web or language-specific wrappers. These tools power the most popular desktop environments (like GNOME and KDE) and everyday Linux applications. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The most common ones used across the Linux desktop ecosystem are listed below and ranked by their overall usage, developer adoption, and historical significance:
- GTK,
- Qt,
- Electron,
- wxWidgets,
- Tkinter / Tk,
- JavaFX / Swing,
- FLTK,
- ImGui,
- Kivy, and
- libwayland-client / Xlib.
On Linux, the GUI architecture is unique because graphical interfaces are separate from the core operating system kernel. Apps rely on lower-level display server APIs (like Wayland or X11) or higher-level widget toolkits built on top of them. [1]
Which are the most used by commercial developers ?
Search string:
linux which are the top GUI APIs most frequently used for commercial software intended for Linux
AI Summary
The top GUI APIs and frameworks frequently used for commercial Linux software include Qt (the industry standard for heavy-duty professional apps), GTK (the native choice for GNOME environments), and wxWidgets (for native look and feel). Additionally, Electron and Web Technologies are heavily used for modern cross-platform commercial applications. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
1. Qt (C++, Python, QML)
Qt is the dominant cross-platform framework for complex, high-performance commercial software on Linux (used by Adobe, Autodesk, and VLC). It allows native hardware acceleration and rich UI design. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
2. GTK (C, Python, Rust, JavaScript)
GTK is the backbone of the GNOME desktop environment and deeply integrated into the Linux ecosystem. It is best suited for apps that need to naturally adhere to Linux system themes and accessibility features. [1, 2, 3]
3. wxWidgets (C++, Python)
wxWidgets provides a truly native look and feel across Linux, Windows, and macOS. Instead of emulating widgets, it uses the platform’s native API, saving resources and ensuring users feel at home. [1, 2, 3]
4. Electron & Web Tech (JavaScript, TypeScript)
Many modern commercial desktop apps (like VS Code, Discord, and Slack) use Electron to wrap web applications into standalone Linux binaries. [1, 2]
5. Flutter for Desktop (Dart)
Flutter has gained significant traction for building highly-branded, animated desktop UIs from a single codebase. [1]