C++ is a general-purpose programming language that evolved from the C language to incorporate an object-oriented paradigm. It’s a compiled and imperative language.

Because C++ is a middle-level language, it can be used to develop both low-level (drivers, kernels) and higher-level programs (games, GUI, desktop apps, etc.). Both C and C++ have the same general syntax and code structure.

Features and Key Points Of C++

The following are some of the characteristics and essential aspects to know about the programming language:

• It’s a straightforward programming language where programs can be broken down into logical units and elements. It comes with an extensive library and a wide range of data types.
• Independent of the machine yet reliant on the platform. A C++ executable is not platform-independent (compiled Linux applications will not run on Windows), but it is machine-independent.
• It is a mid-level language since it can be used to write both systems (drivers, kernels, networking, etc.) and large-scale user programs (Media Players, Photoshop, Game Engines etc.)
• Support for an extensive library for fast development. It has comprehensive library support (both standard built-in data structures, algorithms, and so on) as well as 3rd party libraries (e.g. Boost libraries).
• C++ applications are known for their speed of execution. It’s a compiled language that’s also entirely procedural. Newer languages include built-in default features like garbage collection and dynamic typing, which delay the program’s overall execution. It is lightning quick since there is no additional processing overhead in C++.
• C++ supports pointers and direct memory access, allowing users to manipulate storage addresses directly. For low-level programming, this is quite beneficial (where one might need to have precise control over the storage of variables).
• It’s an Object-Oriented Programming Language which is one of the language’s significant features that distinguish it from C. Object-oriented support in C++ makes it easier to write programs that are easy to maintain and extend. Large-scale uses, in other words, are possible. As the size of the code grows, it becomes more challenging to sustain procedural code.
• C++ is a compiled language, which contributes to its performance.

Applications for C++ include:

• Systems & Operating Systems Programming, for example, on a Linux-based operating system (Ubuntu etc.)
• Browsers like (Chrome & Firefox)
• Game engines and graphics (Photoshop, Blender, Unreal Engine)
• Databases (MySQL, MongoDB, Redis etc.)
• Systems on the Cloud/Distributed