The package opengl is compatible with built-in CMake targets via CMake v3.7 and prior syntax find_package(OpenGL REQUIRED) target_link_libraries(main PRIVATE ${OPENGL_LIBRARIES}) target_include_directories(main PRIVATE ${OPENGL_INCLUDE_DIR}) and the CMake v3.8 and beyond imported target syntax find_package(OpenGL REQUIRED) target_link_libraries(main PRIVATE OpenGL::GL) introduction of various components find_package(OpenGL REQUIRED COMPONENTS GL # v3.8 GLU # v3.8 GLX # v3.10 EGL # v3.10 OpenGL) # v3.10 The OpenGL SDK is highly platform dependent and is usually an OS component. It's not realistic to build from source for every platform. WINDOWS: is part of the Windows SDK which this package installs. LINUX: the SDK may be installed from your distro's repo or from 3rd parties manually. There are too many to count. APPLE: consult your distribution vendor on the state of OpenGL support: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202823