C++ Tutorial | Learn C++ Programming
When you look for the successor of the C language, then you will find C++ and if you are familiar with the C language and want to upgrade yourself in the world of programming, then C++ programming is right for you.
Now, this C++ tutorial gives you a detailed overview of the basic and advanced concepts of C plus plus So, if you are a college student or a working professional, bookmark this C ++ programming tutorial to upscale your CPP programming skills. But before going in-depth with the C Plus Plus tutorial, let’s have a quick intro to C++ language.
What is C++?
C++ is a middle-level programming language that was developed as an extension of the C programming language. In the early 1980s, Bell Labs was an enhancement of the C language to provide support for OOPs (Object Oriented Programming Systems) and additional features.
Print Hello World Program in C++
#include <iostream>
int main() {
std::cout << "Hello World!" << std::endl;
return 0;
}
Output
Hello World!
C++ is an efficient and powerful language and finds wide use in various GUI platforms, 3D graphics and real-time simulations. Because of the inclusion of rich function libraries, working in C++ becomes simpler and convenient than C. Being object-oriented programming like Java, C++ provides the support of inheritance, polymorphism, encapsulation, etc.
Unlike C, C++ allows exception handling and function overloading. Bringing in the important topics under one roof, this free tutorial to C++ is a very efficient and convenient way to learn C++ from scratch.
C++ Tutorials – A Standard Hierarchical Approach to Learn C++
Why to Learn C++ Programming
Here in this section, we have listed some points to teach you why C++ is important and why you should learn this programming language as a coder.
- C++ supports the principles of OOP (Object Oriented Programming), including classes, objects, inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation.
- C++ is an appropriate programming language for systems programming and performance-critical applications. Basically, C programming supports low-level memory manipulation and direct hardware access.
- The STL, or Standard Template Library, in C++, provides a collection of template classes and functions for common data structures and algorithms, which helps simplify and accelerate software development.
- Although C++ is well known for supporting OOP, it also supports procedural and generic programming. This implies that you can write code in a variety of ways, depending on the requirements of your project.
- The ability to write and compile C++ code to run on different platforms makes it a flexible language for creating cross-platform applications.
- Developers have the freedom to create their own abstractions thanks to C++’s support for the creation of customized data types and operators.
- It is widely used in many different fields, such as systems programming, game development, embedded systems, and more. C++ has a sizable and vibrant user community.
Evolution of C Language
To improve the features and libraries, the C language evolved over the years, e.g., C++98, C++11, C++14, C++20, and the latest one, C++23.
Difference Between C and C++
| Feature | C | C++ |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Procedural Programming Language | Middle-level Language that supports both Procedural and Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) |
| Paradigm | Procedural only | Multi-paradigm: Supports Procedural, Object-Oriented, and Generic Programming |
| Data Security | Less secure as it supports only procedural programming | More secure due to features like encapsulation, which hides data |
| Use of Classes and Objects | Does not support classes and objects | Supports classes and objects, enabling Object-Oriented Programming |
| Memory Management | Manual memory management using functions like malloc and free | Supports both manual (using malloc/free) and automatic memory management (using constructors/destructors and new/delete keywords) |
| Function Overloading | Does not support function overloading | Supports function overloading, allowing multiple functions with the same name but different parameters |
| Exception Handling | Does not support exception handling | Supports exception handling using try, catch, and throw keywords |
| Namespace | No namespace feature | Supports namespaces to avoid name collisions |
| Input/Output Functions | Uses standard input/output functions like scanf and printf | Uses object-oriented input/output streams like cin and cout |
| Inheritance | No support for inheritance | Supports inheritance, allowing classes to inherit properties and methods from other classes |
| Template Support | No support for templates | Supports templates, enabling generic programming |
| Dynamic Binding | Does not support dynamic binding | Supports dynamic binding using virtual functions |
| Header File Extensions | Uses .h file extension for header files | Uses .hpp or .h file extensions for header files |
| Compatibility | Generally limited to C programming | Backward compatible with C, allowing C code to run in C++ programs |
| Application Domain | Mainly used for system programming, embedded systems, and low-level programming | Widely used in game development, GUI applications, real-time simulations, and system/software development |
Prerequisites to Learn C++
While developing this tutorial, we also assume that you have a basic understanding of C language or any other programming language. Along with this, you will need to be familiar with some sort of tool and software.
- Text Editor
- Compiler
- Linker
- C++ IDE
Learn C++
If you looking for a complete guide to learn C++ then you can explore GFG Free C++ Programming Langauge Guide. It is a complete guide that will help you to learn
Uses of C++ Programming
Like other programming languages, C++ is also a widely used programming language, and here in this section, we are going to discuss the areas where C++ is used.
- Application and Software Development – C++ programming language is widely used in software development. Here are some of the most popular programs developed using C++ like Adobe Photoshop, Thunderbird, MySQL and the backend of Spotify is also developed using C++.
- Operating System Development – C++ is also used to develop major operating systems, like Mac OSX, Linux, and Windows. Apart from OS, C++ is also used to develop major web browsers like Mozilla Firefox and Chrome.
- Development of Games Engines – C++ is executing so fast hence, it is also used to develop gaming engines like Cube, Cry Engine 3.6, Cry Engine 4, 4A Engine, and many more.
Learn C++ Free by Examples
To up-scale your C++ concepts, this C++ tutorial listed down all the C++ practice examples: C++ Programming Examples
Jobs or Careers in C++
If we see the Statista report, then you will see that after Java and C#, C++ will be one of the most used programming languages in 2023. In the list of the most used languages, 22.42% of developers use this language. There are multiple companies seeking proficient C++ developers; some of them are listed below:
C++ Programming Tutorial – FAQs
Q1. How can I learn C++ by myself?
Learning programming languages like C++ is a little bit of a tough task, but one can easily learn it by themselves. You just have to do regular practice, code challenges, and create projects to build up your logical power.
Q2 What are the basic requirements to learn C++
Well, to learn C++, you must be familiar with any programming language, and if you want to know the detailed requirements to learn C++, then explore the article above.
Q3. Can I learn C++ easily if I know C
Yes, if you know the concepts of the C language, then learning C++ is much easier for you.
Q4. How long it take to learn C++?
Mastering C++ takes time, and it also depends on the time that you are giving to learn this programming language.
