HDF5 API Specification
HDF5 documents and links 
Introduction to HDF5 
HDF5 User Guide 
 And in this document, the HDF5 Reference Manual  
H5IM   H5LT   H5PT   H5TB  
H5   H5A   H5D   H5E   H5F   H5G   H5I   H5P  
H5R   H5S   H5T   H5Z   Tools   Datatypes  

HDF5: API Specification
Reference Manual

The HDF5 library provides several interfaces, each of which provides the tools required to meet specific aspects of the HDF5 data-handling requirements.

High-level APIs Main HDF5 Library,
including Low-level APIs		 Fortran and C++
Interfaces


High-level HDF5 APIs

The HDF5 Library includes several sets of convenience and standard-use APIs. The HDF5 Lite APIs are convenience functions designed to facilitate common HDF5 operations. The HDF5 Image, HDF5 Table and HDF5 Packet Table APIs implement standardized approaches to common use cases with the intention of improving interoperability.
  Lite      The H5LT API general higher-level functions
  Image   The H5IM API for images
  Table   The H5TB API for manipulating table datasets 
  Packet Table   The H5PT API for managing packet tables (and C++ H5PT wrappers)
  Dimension Scales   The H5DS API for managing dimension scales 
       

Main HDF5 Library, or Low-level APIs

The main HDF5 Library includes all of the low-level APIs, providing user applications with fine-grain control of HDF5 functionality.
  Library Functions     The general-purpose H5 functions.
  Attribute Interface   The H5A API for attributes.
  Dataset Interface   The H5D API for manipulating scientific datasets.
  Error Interface   The H5E API for error handling.
  File Interface   The H5F API for accessing HDF files.
  Group Interface   The H5G API for creating physical groups of objects on disk.
  Identifier Interface   The H5I API for working with object identifiers.
  Property List Interface   The H5P API for manipulating object property lists.
  Reference Interface   The H5R API for references.
  Dataspace Interface   The H5S API for defining dataset dataspace.
  Datatype Interface   The H5T API for defining dataset element information.
  Filters and
  Compression Interface		   The H5Z API for inline data filters and data compression.
  Tools   Interactive tools for the examination of existing HDF5 files.
  Predefined Datatypes   Predefined datatypes in HDF5.

A PDF version of this HDF5 Reference Manual will be available from http://hdf.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HDF5/doc/PSandPDF/ approximately one week after each release.

The Fortran90 and C++ APIs to HDF5

 The HDF5 Library distribution includes FORTRAN90 and C++ APIs, which are described in the following documents.

Fortran90 API

HDF5 FORTRAN90 User's Notes contains general information regarding the API. Specific information on each API call is found in the HDF5 Reference Manual.

Fortran90 APIs in the Reference Manual: The current version of the HDF5 Reference Manual includes descriptions of the Fortran90 APIs to HDF5. Fortran subroutines exist in the H5, H5A, H5D, H5E, H5F, H5G, H5I, H5P, H5R, H5S, H5T, and H5Z interfaces and are described on those pages. In general, each Fortran subroutine performs exactly the same task as the corresponding C function.

Whereas Fortran subroutines had been described on separate pages in prior releases, those descriptions were fully integrated into the body of the reference manual for HDF5 Release 1.6.2 (and mostly so for Release 1.6.1).

HDF5 Fortran90 Flags and Datatypes lists the flags employed in the Fortran90 interface and contains a pointer to the HDF5 Fortran90 datatypes.

C++ API HDF5 C++ User's Notes

HDF5 C++ Interfaces



HDF5 documents and links 
Introduction to HDF5 
HDF5 User Guide 
 And in this document, the HDF5 Reference Manual  
H5IM   H5LT   H5PT   H5TB  
H5   H5A   H5D   H5E   H5F   H5G   H5I   H5P  
H5R   H5S   H5T   H5Z   Tools   Datatypes  
HDF Help Desk
Describes HDF5 Release 1.7, the unreleased development branch; working toward HDF5 Release 1.8.0