QOA: Fast Audio Compression for C/C++

QOA is a lightweight audio compression format designed to shrink sound files quickly while keeping quality reasonably good. Think of it like JPEG for audio — it trades perfect fidelity for file size. This particular repository is a simple, single-file library written in C/C++ that lets you compress and decompress audio using the QOA format.

The format works by analyzing chunks of audio and storing them in a compressed way that's fast to decode, making it useful for games, real-time applications, or anywhere you need decent-quality sound without the file overhead of uncompressed WAV or even MP3. Because it's one file (just a header you include), it's easy to drop into existing projects without complex dependencies.

This library would appeal to game developers who need quick audio compression without fussing with third-party tools, indie creators building tools for audio processing, or anyone embedding sound in C/C++ applications where speed and simplicity matter more than studio-quality fidelity. If you're working on a retro game engine, a tool that streams audio, or an embedded system with limited storage, this could be a natural fit.

One important caveat: the README warns that this is still in active development. The format may change, so files encoded today might not play correctly in future versions. The implementation also hasn't been thoroughly tested for stability with corrupted or malicious input, so using it with untrusted audio files carries some risk. The authors also caution against wearing headphones while testing, since buggy decoding can produce harsh noise that could damage hearing. Once the format stabilizes, a full specification will be published.