Top 10 Best Practices for Writing C++ Code With Examples

C++ remains a cornerstone in the programming world, offering a blend of performance and expressiveness. Yet, writing efficient, readable, and maintainable C++ code requires adherence to certain best practices. Below, we’ve listed the top 10 practices for writing C++ code, complete with examples.

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1. Use the RAII (Resource Acquisition Is Initialization) Principle

RAII ensures that resources, like memory and file handles, are acquired on object creation and released on destruction.

class FileHandler {
private:
    std::fstream file;
public:
    FileHandler(const std::string &filename) : file(filename) {}
    ~FileHandler() {
        if (file.is_open()) file.close();
    }
};

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2. Favor the C++ Standard Library

Instead of reinventing the wheel, use data structures and algorithms provided by the Standard Library.

std::vector<int> vec = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};
auto max_val = std::max_element(vec.begin(), vec.end());

3. Limit the Use of Raw Pointers