Jan 29, 20222 min read

C and C++ Explained | Tech Info

What is C?

C is a computer programming language. That means that you can use C to create lists of instructions for a computer to follow. C is one of the thousands of programming languages currently in use. C has been around for several decades and has won widespread acceptance because it gives programmers maximum control and efficiency. C is an easy language to learn. It is a bit more cryptic in its style than some other languages, but you get beyond that fairly quickly.

C is what is called a compiled language. This means that once you write your C program, you must run it through a C compiler to turn your program into an executable that the computer can run (execute). The C program is the human-readable form, while the executable that comes out of the compiler is the machine-readable and executable form. What this means is that to write and run a C program, you must have access to a C compiler.

If you are using a UNIX machine (for example, if you are writing CGI scripts in C on your host's UNIX computer, or if you are a student working on a lab's UNIX machine), the C compiler is available for free. It is called either "CC" or "GCC" and is available on the command line. If you are a student, then the school will likely provide you with a compiler -- find out what the school is using and learn about it. If you are working at home on a Windows machine, you are going to need to download a free C compiler or purchase a commercial compiler. A widely used commercial compiler is Microsoft's Visual C++ environment (it compiles both C and C++ programs). Unfortunately, this program costs several hundred dollars. If you do not have hundreds of dollars to spend on a commercial compiler, then you can use one of the free compilers available on the Web.

What is C++?

C++ is a general-purpose, case-sensitive, free-form programming language that supports object-oriented, procedural, and generic programming.

C++ is a middle-level language, as it encapsulates both high and low-level language features.

C++ supports object-oriented programming, the four major pillars of object-oriented programming (OOPs) used in C++ are:

Inheritance
Polymorphism
Encapsulation
Abstraction

Standard C++ programming is divided into three important parts:

The core library includes the data types, variables, and literals, etc.
The standard library includes the set of functions manipulating strings, files, etc.
The Standard Template Library (STL) includes the set of methods manipulating a data structure.

With the help of the C++ programming language, we can develop different types of secured and robust applications: