OpenLava is an open-source implementation of the Lava media format, originally created by Airbnb. Lava is a tile-based animation format optimized for lightweight, high-performance animations.
This project provides both tools and rendering libraries for working with Lava assets on macOS, iOS, and beyond.
.
├── Docs/ # Format specs, API usage, and documentation
│ ├── format.md # In-depth description of Lava's manifest and image layout
│ ├── packing.md # Custom Lava packing algorithm explanation
│ ├── packages.md # Notes on the Swift package implementation
│ └── tools.md # Python tool usage and conversion tips
│
├── Examples/
│ ├── Media/ # Extracted example Lava assets (.avif + manifest.json)
│ ├── LavaPhoenixExample/ # Flutter app project demonstrating real-time playback
│ └── MoltenLavaExample/ # Xcode app project demonstrating real-time playback
│
├── Packages/
│ └── MoltenLava/ # Swift package implementation of Lava player
│ └── LavaPhoenix/ # Flutter package implementation of Lava player
│ └── LavaSerpent/ # Python package for working with Lava animations
│
├── Tools/
│ └── convert_to_webm.py # Python utility for rendering to .webm
│
└── Readme.md
- Docs/format.md – Lava manifest structure, tile math, and rendering logic
- Docs/tools.md – Some tools for working with Lava animations
- Docs/packages.md – Documentation for the Swift, Flutter and Python packages
- Docs/packing.md – Custom Lava packing algorithm explanation
Browse the Examples/Media/ folder for Lava animations extracted from the Airbnb app. These assets are provided strictly for demonstrating format compatibility and renderer behavior.
⚠️ Important Notice: The media files in this repository are included under fair use for educational and interoperability purposes only. Do not reuse, redistribute, or embed these assets in your own applications or projects. If you are affiliated with Airbnb and would like any content removed, please open an issue.
Planned features and improvements for future development:
- Size Optimization: PIL codec produces larger files than expected.
.lava/.olavaArchive Support: Add support for bundled Lava formats (.lavaor.olava), which are simply zipped folders containing the manifest and associated assets. This will be implemented across the Python, Swift and Dart packages.Flutter Renderer: Develop a cross-platform Flutter renderer to enable Lava playback on Android, iOS, and web platforms.
Pull requests and issues are welcome! If you’ve discovered a new variant of the format or want to extend the tooling, feel free to contribute.
This project is open-source under the MIT license. It is not affiliated with Airbnb, and no proprietary code or internals have been used or reused.
If you're from Airbnb and have questions or concerns, please reach out respectfully via the issue tracker.