Introduction to C++ Programming Language

C++ is a general-purpose programming language that was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup as an enhancement of the C language to add object-oriented paradigm. It is a high-level programming language that was first released in 1985 and since then has become the foundation of many modern technologies like game engines, web browsers, operating systems, financial systems, etc.

Features of C++

The main features C++ programming language are as follows:

• Simple: It is a simple language in the sense that programs can be broken down into logical units and parts, and has a rich library support and a variety of datatypes.
• Machine Independent: C++ code can be run on any machine as long as a suitable compiler is provided.
• Low-level Access: C++ provides low-level access to system resources, which makes it a suitable choice for system programming and writing efficient code.
• Fast Execution Speed: C++ is one of the fastest high-level languages. There is no additional processing overhead in C++, it is blazing fast.
• Object-Oriented: One of the strongest points of the language which sets it apart from C. Object-Oriented support helps C++ to make maintainable and extensible programs. i.e. large-scale applications can be built.

Applications of C++

C++ is used in a wide range of applications from game engines and application software to operating systems and embedded systems.

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Why Learn C++?

C++ is often taught as a foundational language to aspiring programmers, but it is much more than that:

• C++ remains one of the most used and popular programming languages used in making operating systems, embedded systems, graphical user interfaces and nowadays in high frequency trading (HFT) software.
• It supports both low-level and high-level features such as manual memory management and OOPs programming respectively.
• Syntax similarity with C, Java, and C# makes it easier to switch languages.
• C++ provides one of the fastest execution speeds among high level languages, which can be a deciding factor in Competitive Programming or high-performance applications.

How to Learn C++?

Learning C++, like any other programming language involves understanding the basic concepts and then practicing them by yourself on real world code examples. GeeksforGeek’s C++ Tutorial helps provide a well-structured guide that is designed for both beginners and experienced programmers. It clearly explains the concepts in simple and concise tone with the help of real-world code examples. These examples can be executed on the spot using GfG’s online IDE.

Each topic is also provided with a Quiz that helps you to test your understanding. The below image shows the syllabus of GfG’s C++ Tutorial.

First C++ Program

The below program is one of the simplest C++ programs that shows the basic structure of its programs:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main() {
    cout << "Hello, World!";
    return 0;
}

Hello, World!

Explanation: In the above example, we simply print a statement, which is “Hello, World!” through C++ programming language.

History of C++

C++ was initially developed by Bjarne Stroutrup as an extension of C language to include OOPs concepts. It was first introduces as “C with Classes” in 1979 at Bell Labs. It was named C++ in 1982. The language later standardized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

• The first official standard C++98 released in 1998.
• This was followed by C++03 in 2003 which was a minor update that addressed defects and clarified ambiguities in the C++98 standard.
• The major update came with C++ 11 in 2011 which introduced a lot of features like lambda expressions, smart pointers, etc. After this, an update starts being released once in 3 years.
• C++14 (2014) and C++17 (2017), brought incremental improvements, refining C++11 features and adding new utilities like filesystem support.
• The latest major standards C++20 (2020) and C++23 (2024) continue to modernize the language with concepts, modules, and enhanced concurrency.

C++ vs Other Programming Languages

Let’s see where C++ stands as compared to other programming language:

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• C++
• CPP-Basics

Practice Tags :

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