# Native Player Compile the dotLottie runtime for your target architecture and play Lottie animations from C or C++, with guides for rendering, theming, and events. The native runtime exposes `dotlottie-rs` as a plain C library. It ships as source rather than as a prebuilt package, so the first step is always to compile it for the architectures you target and generate the `dotlottie_player.h` header that describes the API. Everything the Android, iOS, Flutter, and React Native players can do is available here: loading `.lottie` and Lottie JSON files, playback control, software and GPU render targets, theming, slots, and interactive state machines. New to the runtime? Work through the tutorials in order — each one depends on the previous. Already building? Jump to the guides or the reference. Install the Rust, C++, and platform toolchains the build needs. Compile the library and generate the C header for Android, Apple, Linux, or Windows. Wire the header and library into a Makefile, CMake project, or Xcode target. A complete C program that loads an animation and renders it to a pixel buffer. The handle model, error results, ownership rules, and feature gating. Drive interactive animations with inputs, pointer events, and transitions. Ownership rules, destruction order, string lifetimes, and thread safety. Every function, enum, and struct in `dotlottie_player.h`.