Elements

Elements are at the core of GStreamer. Without elements, GStreamer is just a bunch of pipe fittings with nothing to connect. A large number of elements (filters, sources and sinks) ship with GStreamer, but extra elements can also be written.

An element may be constructed in several different ways, but all must conform to the same basic rules. A simple filter may be built with the FilterFactory, where the only code that need be written is the actual filter code. A more complex filter, or a source or sink, will need to be written out fully for complete access to the features and performance possible with GStreamer.

The implementation of a new element will be contained in a plugin: a single plugin may contain the implementation of several elements, or just a single one.