We are living in the age of technology which is evolving day by day. Programming is one of the main factors behind the advancement of technology. Today it has become one of the most respectable, highly demanded, and high-paying jobs one could get. It is also a field that is quickly growing. Every year we see a lot of new programming languages. So, the demand for programmers will increase more in the future. For this reason, more and more students want to learn to program, but they are often confused about what is the difference between major programming languages. Therefore, today we are here with detailed information on C++ vs C. This blog is also helpful for people confused about which language among C++ and C is best suitable for their project. Before learning about C++ vs C, let's first see a basic introduction about C++ and C.
Introduction of C Dennis Ritchie invented the 'C' programming language in 1972 at Bell Laboratories. It is a widely-used, general-purpose programming language that is easy to learn and use. It was built using the programming languages ALGOL, B, and BCPL. All the properties of these languages are present in the 'C' with several additional features that distinguish it from other languages. It is a machine-independent structured programming language that is widely used to create various applications, OS such as Windows, and other complicated programs such as the Oracle database, Python interpreter, Git, and others. Moreover, C is referred to as a base of other programming languages. If you know C, you can readily learn other programming languages that employ the concept of 'C'.
Introduction of C++ In the early 1980s, Bjarne Stroustrup created C++. It was built with the purpose of adding objects and instance methods (object behavior) to the C programming language. This was founded on the belief that object-oriented programming would be more productive and efficient for large software projects. Many modern desktop apps, such as Mozilla's Firefox browser, Photoshop, and Microsoft's Windows operating system, are written in C++. C++ combines procedural and object-oriented programming. It is regarded as a superset of C, which implies that it includes all the features from the C programming language and some additional unique features. As a result of its widespread use, a huge variety of frameworks and libraries have been developed to enhance C++ for purposes such as audio digital signal processing, high-performance graphics, and user interface design.
C++ vs C: The Main Differences The main differences between C++ vs C are as follows-
Data Security Classes and object-oriented programming are supported in C++. Due to this, data encapsulation and information hiding are also supported. Variables that were previously visible in C can now be hidden within a class that is accessible by only certain functions. As a result, C++ has far greater data security than C.
Features C++ provides operator and function overloading, allowing programmers to define custom definitions for certain operators, functions, and data. Moreover, C++ uses inline functions (rather than macro functions), exceptions for error handling, and reference variables. None of these features are present in C.
Performance When comparing the performance of C++ with C, it's frequently the case that C is faster. C++, on the other hand, can win this race in some circumstances. In fact, both of these languages are pretty quick, and judging the speed difference between them is difficult.
Data Types Both C++ and C are statically typed. But, C only supports primitive data types. The boolean and string data types aren't supported by C. However, C++ supports primitive data types along with boolean and string data types.
Control C's direct control over memory and hardware is one of its key advantages. C++, as a superset, provides the same control as C, but with additional user-friendly tools to give programmers even more power. As a result, studying C has the advantage of learning the hard way to do things while also giving you greater control over memory and hardware.
Code Execution It's worth noting that because C++ is a superset of C, you can use a C++ compiler to run most C code. C++, on the other hand, is rarely compatible with a standard C compiler. So, this means that if you wanted to, you could use a C++ compiler to code in C.
Head to Head Comparisons: C++ vs C Parameters
C++
C
Language Type
Object-Oriented
Procedural
Approach
Bottom-Up
Top-Down
Extension
.cpp
.c
Driven Type
Object-Driven
Function-Driven
In-line Function
Supported
Not supported
Declaring a function as a member function
Supported
Not Supported
Standard input and output cin and cout objects are used
Scanf and printf functions are used
Compatibility with other languages
Compatible with the other generic programming languages
Not Compatible
Variable Declaration
Declare variables anywhere in the function.
Variables should be defined at the beginning
Operator overloading
Supported
Not Supported
Reference variables
Supported
Not Supported
Data types
String and Boolean data types are supported
Built-in and primitive data types are supported
Exception handling
Supported
Not Supported
Namespace feature
Present
Not present
Dynamic memory allocation
“new” operator is used
Malloc() and calloc() functions are used
Multiple Declaration of global variables
Not allowed
Allowed
Virtual Functions
Not present
Present
Keywords
52
32
GUI programming
Qt tools are used
GTK tool is used
Summary In this blog, we have provided detailed information about C++ vs C. C is a procedural language that uses a step-by-step approach to programming, whereas object-oriented C++ is a programming language that concentrates on objects. C++ also allows programmers to follow some procedural programming techniques. Both languages are high-performing, and the distinctions between them are typically minor. Hopefully you have understood all the difference between C++ vs C. In case you need C++ assignment help, you can discuss it with our experts.
Frequently Asked Questions Is C easier than C++? Yes, C is a little easier than C++. C is smaller than C++ with fewer concepts. However, there is not much difference between the difficulty of both these languages. C++ supports all the features of C as it is built upon C. Anyone who can learn C can also learn C++ and vice versa. Is C++ more powerful than C? It depends on how "more powerful" is defined. Is assembly language more powerful than other languages? Yes and no, depending on your definition. With C, you are closer to machine language, which makes it more efficient. However, on the other hand, processors have become so rapid that efficiency is no longer a factor. Higher-level languages are obviously more powerful if you interpret "powerful" to mean "you don't have to code much to get a lot done."