C++ Introduction

C++ is a powerful, high-performance programming language that is widely used for system/software development, game development, drivers, client-server applications, and embedded firmware. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup at Bell Labs in the early 1980s as an extension of the C language, with object-oriented features.

What is C++?

• C++ is a general-purpose programming language.
• It supports both procedural and object-oriented programming (multi-paradigm).
• It provides low-level memory manipulation (like C) but also includes high-level features like classes, objects, templates, and exceptions.
• C++ is compiled, which means programs are converted into machine code before execution.

Key Features of C++

• Fast & Efficient
• Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
• Rich Standard Library (STL)
• Low-level Access to Memory
• Platform Independent
• Extensibility with Other Languages

Uses of C++

• Operating systems (e.g., parts of Windows, Linux)
• Game engines (e.g., Unreal Engine)
• Browsers (e.g., Chrome uses C++)
• Database software (e.g., MySQL)
• Embedded systems
• Financial systems

C++ vs C

First C++ Program

#include <iostream> using namespace std;

Output:

Hello, World!

Summary

C++ is a fast, efficient, and versatile language that bridges the gap between low-level hardware access and high-level object-oriented design. It’s ideal for performance-critical applications and gives developers fine-grained control over system resources.