C++ is one of the popular programming languages that developers across the world widely use. Specifically, it plays a key role in the development of video games, IoT devices, heavy AI applications, and embedded systems. Since C++ has several amazing features, many techies prefer learning this language and using it for various purposes. Are you interested to know what is C++ used for and why is it special? If yes, then continue reading this blog.
Here, we have shared the practical application and the best uses of C++. In addition to that, we have explained what makes C++ different from other programming languages.
What is C++?
C++ is a general-purpose programming language. It was created by Bjarne Stroustrup in 1979 at Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey. He typically developed it as an enhancement to the C programming language. Since this programming language is an extension of C, it got its name C++.
It was specially designed with a focus on huge systems and software under resource constraints. Since its arrival, C++ has grown substantially. The most recent version (C++20) has object-oriented, functional, and generic features along with low-level memory management. The main advantage of C++ is that it is extremely scalable. Moreover, for developers, C++ gives a lot of flexibility over the resource consumption of their applications.
What Makes C++ Special?
C++ plays a vital role in the development of big software packages and applications that operate on fewer resources. Since C++ can directly alter the hardware (or machine) on which it operates, programmers can optimize their code to run in any environment, even with constrained hardware resources or energy. C++ ideally serves as the foundation layer of many critical applications because it can run applications rapidly and consistently on a wide range of devices.
All these factors make C++ a great option for developing software that is quick, effective at system resources management, and dependable when carrying out vital operations.
Why is C++ Unique over Other Languages?
In comparison to other languages, C++ is more special and unique because of the below-listed features and advantages it offers.
- C++ is an object-oriented programming language that focuses on objects and their manipulations. Therefore, it easily simplifies the manipulation of code when compared to procedural or structured programming which necessitates the execution of several computational stages.
- A C++ program compiles and runs substantially quicker than the majority of general-purpose programming languages.
- C++ supports pointers which are frequently unavailable in other programming languages.
- Every C++ program must first be compiled into a low-level language before being executed, in contrast to other programming languages where this step is not necessary.
- There are numerous functions in the C++ Standard Template Library (STL) to help in rapidly writing code. For instance, there are STLs for different types of containers such as sets, maps, and hash tables.
- In contrast to most general-purpose programming languages, C++ is closer to hardware. This makes it extremely helpful in situations where low-level software support is necessary and a high correlation is present between hardware and software.
Also Read: C++ vs. Java: Learn the Key Differences
What is C++ Used For?
C++ is used for creating browsers, operating systems, and real-world applications. In addition to that, C++ is used extensively in game programming, software engineering, data structures, and more. Also, C++ plays a major role in scientific research starting from space exploration to high-energy particle physics.
Typically, C++ is used by a variety of industries. To know more about the uses of the C++ programming language, look into the next section.
15 Best Uses of C++ Language
The following are the practical applications and the major uses of the C++ programming language.
Operating Systems
C++ is a fast and strongly typed programming language. Therefore, it is an excellent choice for designing operating systems. C++ is used extensively throughout Mac OS X and other OS like Windows and iOS.
Most of Microsoft’s software including Microsoft Office, the IDE Visual Studio, and Internet Explorer are also created in C++.
Games
C++ is closer to hardware. Hence, several game development companies consider C++ as a primary choice for building gaming systems. C++ can easily optimize resources and control data structures and memory allocation. Furthermore, C++ can overcome the challenges of 3D games and multiplayer networking.
Games like World of Warcraft, Counter-Strike, and StarCraft, game engines like Unreal Engine, and gaming consoles like Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch are developed in C++.
Embedded Systems and IoT Devices
C++ is frequently used for building embedded systems found in Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Cars, smartwatches, TVs, and medical equipment are a few examples of IoT devices.
Mostly, in IoT devices, the hardware will be embedded within an object. So, to operate properly, these devices require limited computational resources and strict power needs. C++ gives programmers more control over how these resources can be used for effectively running programs.
AR/VR Applications
Virtual and augmented reality applications are frequently developed in C++. Actually, a lot of these apps run on Unreal Engine, built using C++.
AR/VR apps must handle massive volumes of data that are constantly updated based on camera sensor input and user interactions. So, for processing all of this data and generating smooth virtual experiences, C++ is perfect.
GUI Based Applications
C++ is also used for creating desktop and GUI-based applications. Most of Adobe’s applications, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, etc., are developed in C++.
Web Browsers
People dislike waiting for their web pages to load. So, web browsers must execute quickly. For this reason, C++ is used in the development of the majority of browsers.
The entire Mozilla Firefox is built with C++. But in Google applications such as Chrome and Google File System, only a part of the code is written in C++.
Financial Tools
Many banks and financial institutions utilize C++ to create software infrastructure that supports banking, trading, and financial modeling applications. Especially, C++’s speed and reliability make it perfect for processing millions of transactions every day, enabling a high volume and frequency of trades, and building data simulations for huge portfolios.
Infosys Finacle is a popular financial application built with C++.
Compilers
C++ is closer to the hardware and has a lower level of abstraction than other higher-level languages. Therefore, the compilers of several programming languages are built using C and C++.
Databases
Popular database software like MySQL and MongoDB are built with C++. Even numerous well-known apps, including those made by Google, Netflix, YouTube, Adobe, and others are built on top of these databases. When it comes to organizing databases to facilitate effective storage, C++ is perfect.
Telecommunications
C++ is frequently used for developing telephone, Internet, and other telecommunications infrastructure. It is perfect for resource management so that a ton of simultaneous communication can be handled quickly and effectively.
Cloud/Distributed Systems
Systems for storing large amounts of data in the cloud must operate closer to the hardware. Therefore, for cloud storage system implementations, C++ is always preferred. Moreover, to create concurrent applications that enable load tolerance, these systems also need multithreading capabilities offered by C++. Although the development environment and frameworks for Bloomberg are created in C++, the distributed RDBMS application is mostly implemented in C.
Medical Technology
A wide range of medical devices, including MRI machines, lab testing apparatus, and patient information handling systems, use C++. Also, in bioinformatics research, C++ is used to represent data and execute data simulations because it implements many advanced algorithms created for the medical and biological sciences.
Machine Learning Tools
TensorFlow and other machine learning systems depend on C++ for back-end development. For example, data scientists can utilize TensorFlow with Python, while C++ code is used for the main machine learning computations. Actually, a vast array of libraries in C++ enables these incredibly complex computations that train machine learning models.
Flight Software
The flight software used for commercial, military, and defense aircraft, including the F-16 and F-35 jets is typically written in the C++ programming language. Particularly, to ensure that the wings, engines, and other vital components function reliably throughout every flight, a large portion of the safety-critical software is written in C++.
Advanced Computation and Graphics
All graphical applications need rapid rendering similar to web browsers. C++ is used as the backend programming language in high-end graphical processing, computer vision, and digital image processing software.
Also Read: 120 Best C++ Project Ideas for Beginners and Advanced
Wrapping Up
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