The Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms (BLAS) are routines that provide standard building blocks for performing basic vector and matrix operations. The Level 1 BLAS perform scalar, vector and vector-vector operations, the Level 2 BLAS perform matrix-vector operations, and the Level 3 BLAS perform matrix-matrix operations. Because the BLAS are efficient, portable, and widely available, they are commonly used in the development of high quality linear algebra software, LAPACK for example. The libraries are typically linked into your application. For example,if the libraries are stored on /usr/local/lib, use -L/usr/local/lib -lf77blas in your program linker step to link to these libraries. Detailed lists of functions can be found on the links above.

For more information see the Basic Linear Algebra Subprogram homepage or BLAS FAQ.