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# Shader
Shader is a [computer](computer.md) [program](program.md) running on the [graphics processing unit](gpu.md) (GPU), typically in many parallel instances so as to utilize the GPU's highly parallel nature and so achieve very high processing speed. As such shaders are simple to mid complexity programs. There are different types of shaders based on what kind of [data](data.md) they process -- most notable are probably fragment (also pixel) shaders that process [pixels](pixel.md) which then end up on the screen -- without explicitly mentioning what kind of shader we are talking about it is usually assumed we mean fragment shaders. The word *shader* is also used more loosely as a synonym for a special visual effect or material look in [3D graphics](3d_rendering.md) (e.g. [games](games.md)), because shaders are usually the means of achieving such effects.
Shader is a [computer](computer.md) [program](program.md) running on the [graphics processing unit](gpu.md) (GPU), typically in many parallel instances so as to utilize the GPU's highly parallel nature and so achieve very high processing speed. As such shaders are simple to mid complexity programs. There are different types of shaders based on what kind of [data](data.md) they process -- most worthy of mention are probably fragment (also pixel) shaders that process [pixels](pixel.md) which then end up on the screen -- without explicitly mentioning what kind of shader we are talking about it is usually assumed we mean fragment shaders. The word *shader* is also used more loosely as a synonym for a special visual effect or material look in [3D graphics](3d_rendering.md) (e.g. [games](games.md)), because shaders are usually the means of achieving such effects.
Why is it called a *shader*? Well, probably because these programs were initially very limited and only intended for implementation of shading (i.e. slight brightening/darkening of the surface color to simulate the effects of light), so the name was logical. It stuck and remained even as the power and flexibility of shaders increased to allow doing much more, and this even affected the word *shading* whose meaning is now sometimes extended to include practically any effect applied on the object surface.