ruffle-rs/ruffle

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

★ 18,064RustAudience · developerComplexity · 4/5Setup · moderate

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Runs Flash files
      Emulates Flash Player
      Supports ActionScript
    How it works
      Desktop application
      Browser extension
      WebAssembly runtime
    Use cases
      Play old Flash games
      View Flash animations
      Preserve web history
    Tech stack
      Rust language
      WebAssembly
      Browser APIs
    Audience
      Retro gamers
      Web archivists
      Developers

mindmap root((repo)) What it does Runs Flash files Emulates Flash Player Supports ActionScript How it works Desktop application Browser extension WebAssembly runtime Use cases Play old Flash games View Flash animations Preserve web history Tech stack Rust language WebAssembly Browser APIs Audience Retro gamers Web archivists Developers

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Play Flash games and interactive content that no longer works in modern browsers.

USE CASE 2

View Flash animations and multimedia from archived websites without installing legacy software.

USE CASE 3

Preserve and access historical web content that relied on Flash technology.

USE CASE 4

Batch-process or screenshot SWF files for archival or documentation purposes.

What is it built with?

RustWebAssemblyActionScriptBrowser APIs

How does it compare?

	ruffle-rs/ruffle	bytecodealliance/wasmtime	rust-lang/book
Stars	18,064	18,007	17,771
Language	Rust	Rust	Rust
Setup difficulty	moderate	moderate	easy
Complexity	4/5	4/5	1/5
Audience	developer	developer	developer

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires Rust toolchain and wasm-pack, building WebAssembly artifacts takes several minutes.

License could not be detected automatically. Check the repository's LICENSE file before use.

In plain English

Ruffle is an emulator for Adobe Flash Player, written in the Rust programming language. Flash Player was a browser plugin that powered a huge amount of interactive content on the web throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, games, animations, video players, and more. Adobe officially ended support for Flash at the end of 2020, meaning modern browsers no longer run Flash content. Ruffle allows that content to work again without requiring the original Adobe plugin. Ruffle can run in two environments. As a desktop application, it opens SWF files (the Flash file format) directly on your computer. As a browser extension or web component, it can be embedded into websites to transparently intercept Flash content and run it natively in the browser using WebAssembly, a technology that lets compiled code run securely in a web page. The emulator currently supports ActionScript 1, 2, and 3, the scripting languages used inside Flash files, though compatibility is not yet complete. The project is open source and accepts sponsorships to support continued development. Nightly builds are available for desktop and web platforms, and the project also includes utility tools for batch-scanning or taking screenshots of SWF files.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

How do I set up Ruffle to play Flash games in my browser?

Prompt 2

Show me how to embed Ruffle as a web component on my website to run Flash content.

Prompt 3

What ActionScript features does Ruffle currently support, and what are the known limitations?

Prompt 4

How can I use Ruffle's command-line tools to batch-convert or screenshot multiple SWF files?

Prompt 5

Explain how Ruffle uses WebAssembly to safely run Flash code in a modern browser.

Frequently asked questions

What is ruffle?

A Rust-based emulator that runs Adobe Flash content in modern browsers and as a desktop app, using WebAssembly to execute old Flash games and animations without the original plugin.

What language is ruffle written in?

Mainly Rust. The stack also includes Rust, WebAssembly, ActionScript.

What license does ruffle use?

License could not be detected automatically. Check the repository's LICENSE file before use.

How hard is ruffle to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is ruffle for?

Mainly developer.

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