Torch Stable API

The PyTorch Stable C++ API provides a binary-compatible interface for calling tensor operations and utilities that is guaranteed to remain stable across PyTorch versions. This enables ahead-of-time compiled extensions that don’t need recompilation when PyTorch is updated.

When to use the Stable API:

• When building extensions that must work across multiple PyTorch versions

• When distributing pre-compiled binaries

• When binary compatibility is more important than access to the latest features

• When writing custom operators for production deployment

Basic usage:

#include <torch/csrc/stable/library.h>
#include <torch/csrc/stable/ops.h>

// Create a tensor using stable API
auto tensor = torch::stable::empty(
    {3, 4},
    torch::headeronly::ScalarType::Float,
    torch::headeronly::Layout::Strided,
    torch::stable::Device(torch::headeronly::DeviceType::CPU),
    false,
    torch::headeronly::MemoryFormat::Contiguous);

// Register operators with stable ABI
STABLE_TORCH_LIBRARY(myops, m) {
    m.def("my_op(Tensor input) -> Tensor");
}

STABLE_TORCH_LIBRARY_IMPL(myops, CPU, m) {
    m.impl("my_op", TORCH_BOX(&my_cpu_kernel));
}

For more information on the stable ABI, see the Stable ABI notes.

Header Files

• torch/csrc/stable/library.h - Stable library registration

• torch/csrc/stable/ops.h - Stable operator definitions

• torch/csrc/stable/tensor_struct.h - Stable tensor structures

• torch/csrc/stable/device_struct.h - Stable device structures

• torch/csrc/stable/accelerator.h - Accelerator support

• torch/csrc/stable/macros.h - Stable API macros

Stable API Categories

• Library Registration Macros
• Stable Operators
• Utilities

See Also

• Torch Library API - For standard (non-stable) operator registration

• Stable ABI documentation