VIPA is a generic framework for processing streaming data. Currently it is geared toward still and video image processing, but it can be extended to address a wide range of problems. Users construct VIPA applications by linking discrete modules, each of which is a source, sink, modifier or mover of data. VIPA comes with a set of pre-defined modules, but it is easy to add ones by programming in C++. VIPA is well suited for both real-time and archival data processing.