What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of C++?

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What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of C++?

C++ is a general-purpose programming language that dominates the programming world, being the oldest and most efficient among the other programming languages. This programming language has many valuable features for imperative, object-oriented, and generic programming. CPP runs on many platforms like Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac, etc. In addition to the advantages, there are also some disadvantages to consider.

This article will give you an idea of them of CPP to help you in your programming journey. Beginners will be even more curious to know about it because knowing all the benefits and drawbacks will be essential to predict their next step. So, continue reading the article without any delay. 

Advantages of C++ Programming Language

As we know, like the two sides of a coin, there are benefits and drawbacks to C plus plus programming. Now it’s time to go through the benefits of learning and using it in competitive programming. The list includes:

  • Portability
  • Object-Oriented
  • Multi-paradigm
  • Low-level Manipulation
  • Memory Management
  • Large Community Support
  •  Compatibility with C
  • Scalability

1. Portability

With C++, it’s simple to run the same program across various operating systems or user interfaces due to the benefit of portability, also known as platform independence.

If you write a program in the LINUX operating system and then switch to the Windows operating system for some reason, the program will run flawlessly on both platforms. For the programmer, this feature is a huge convenience.

2. Object-oriented

One of its most significant benefits is its support for object-oriented programming, which includes ideas like classes, inheritance, polymorphism, data abstraction, and encapsulation that enable reuse of code in the CPP file and increase program reliability.

Additionally, treating data like an object enables us to solve problems in the real world. This feature was added to C because it was missing and has proven to be very important.

Many new technologies and job opportunities were born due to this feature. Interestingly, Simula 67, the first object-oriented programming language, and C were combined to create C plus plus.

3. Multi-paradigm

Programming in this languae uses multiple paradigms. The term “paradigm” refers to a programming style that includes the program’s logic, structure, and procedures. It supports the three paradigms of generic, imperative, and object-oriented.

A multi-paradigm programming language enables programmers to select a single approach or combine elements of various paradigms. The power of CPP is such that programmers can use it to implement any paradigm. 

4. Low-level Manipulation

The programming language permits low-level data manipulation to a certain extent because it is closely related to C, a procedural language closely related to machine language. It is used to build embedded systems and compilers.

5. Memory Management

The programmer has complete control over memory management in C++. As it places more responsibility on the user to manage memory rather than leaving that task to the garbage collector, this can be seen as both an asset and a liability. Pointers are used in DMA (dynamic memory allocation) to carry out this concept.

6. Large Community Support

There is a sizable community that supports the language by offering both free and paid online lectures and courses. According to statistics, the sixth most popular and followed tag on StackOverflow and GitHub is CPP.

7. Compatibility with C

C++ and C are compatible. Every error-free C program is considered a valid CPP program. Every program in it can run on a CPP file with the .cpp extension, depending on the compiler.

8. Scalability

The term “scalability” describes a program’s capacity to grow. It indicates that the program can handle both small and large amounts of data. We can also create applications that use a lot of resources.

Disadvantages of the C++ Programming Language

Following the discussion of the advantages of CPP, we will now move on to the disadvantages. The disadvantages include the following list. 

  • Use of Pointers
  • Security Issue
  • Absence of Garbage Collector
  • Absence of Built-in Thread
  • Heavy Programs
  • Not used in Platform Dependent Apps
  • Less Flexible

1. Use of Pointers

It can be challenging to understand pointers in C/C++, and they take up a lot of memory. A system could malfunction or crash if pointers are misused, such as wild pointers.

2. Security Issue

Although object-oriented programming provides much more security for the data being handled than other programming languages, such as C, which are not object-oriented, there are still some security concerns because friend functions, global variables, and pointers are still available.

3. Absence of Garbage Collector

As discussed earlier, it allows users to manage the computer’s memory using DMA. The ability of a garbage collector to automatically remove unnecessary data is not present in C++.

4. Absence of Built-in Thread

There are no built-in threads in the programming language. In C++, threads are a relatively new concept that wasn’t present before. It can now support lambda functions.

5. Heavy Programs

If you’re not careful, its programs can be quite heavy because they support overloaded functions and classes with the same names, which necessitates using the symbol mangling system, which is easily implemented in C functions.

6. Not used in Platform Dependent Apps

In addition to not being used for platform-dependent apps like C or anything else, C++ programs have no concept of being fast. It’s less dependent than others, given the nature of the toolchain. It is complex in an extensive high-level program.

7. Less flexible

Because of how strict the programming language is with its syntax, even a tiny mistake can result in a string of errors. It typically requires more practice than any other programming language to become proficient. The difficulty of writing readable CPP code on a CPP file reduces the language’s usability and flexibility for the user.

In this article, we discussed several benefits and drawbacks of the programming language. Hopefully, this article will help you gain a clear perspective on the advantages and disadvantages of C++, so you can decide whether or not the language is suitable for you. Since it is one of the most widely used languages, regardless of the pros and cons, it would be great to continue using it.

Interesting Links: 

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