Top 5 IDEs for C++ That You Should Try Once
In the past decades, creating an application or interface from the very basic idea, the developer has to struggle a lot for it. Because an application is a combination of many sub modules like programming, coding, testing, and deployment of the model. These are all different modules and packages and this would all need different phases to be installed and to maintain all these, developer used to face a lot of difficulties.
So, in order to overcome all these phases, and to be better in productivity and increase the compilation of software development, all the different phase packages that are to be used by developer are combined and integrated to a single block application know as
IDE (Integrated Development Environment). IDE is generally defined as it is an environment phase or is a combination of different types of tools which include tools like bugging tool, text editor and compiler for the application. IDE just made all this heavy process very smoother and very easy to execute all these processes.
An advanced IDE must have the features such as syntax highlighting, auto-code completion, auto-save code, code search, compiler, refactoring, debugging, version control, build and deployment.
And the basic C++ programming IDEs for the software development are:
- Visual studio code
- Code: Blocks
- CLion
- Eclipse
- Code Lite
Visual studio code
It is a lightweight but powerful source code tool editor which is to be run on our desktop and is available for every OS such as Windows, macOS and Linux. Visual code studio comes with a built-in support for JavaScript, TypeScript and Node.js.
It is combined with the rich environment of extensions for other languages and runtime which includes C, C++, C#, Java and Python etc. and many more.
It is free and open-source code platform developed by Microsoft.
Especially for the C++, the Microsoft itself provides the extensions known as Microsoft C++.
For running code snippets as output there is a extension called as ‘code runner’ made for this purpose.
The main features include:
- Open and free to use
- Highlighting of syntax
- Debugger tool
- Completion of code by automation
- Tools for deployment
- Git support
- A lot of extensions and themes.
Code: Blocks
Code blocks is also an open source and free licensed IDE for languages like C and C++ which is operated in such a way that it can be used in multiple platforms. It is built in the language C++ with the help of a GUI widget tool known as ‘wxWIdget’.
It is especially used in C++ for the better and optimised performance. Plugins are required in this platform. The compiler of code block is very fast and custom build in which it does not requires make files.
This includes features like:
- Open source and free to use
- Plugins are required
- Multi-Target projects
- Supports MS CDB
- Call Stack
- Smart indent
- Well maintained interface
- High end performance
Many more featured can be included through plugins.
CLion
Clion is an advanced and modern IDE which was developed by JetBrains. It is designed for C and C++ and to run on various operating systems like Windows, Linux and macOS.
The main feature of CLion is to provide assistance to code because it mainly focuses on important things such as code analysis and safe refactoring.
The features include:
- Commercial used
- Good for start a new project
- Easily debugging of application
- Can be customized
- Quick documentation
- View values inline
- Code generation
- Cross platform
- Code completion
Eclipse
Eclipse is one of the most powerful and popular IDEs for C++ developers. It is an open-source and free to use software with external community support. It supports multiple platforms operating systems.
This includes features such as:
- Easy to use
- Open Source
- Navigational source
- Highlighting of syntax
- Code refactoring
- Code completion by automation
CodeLite
CodeLite is a free, open-source, and cross platform IDE which is specialised in programming languages like C, C++, Rust and Python. It is mainly used by the backend developers.
Its performance is very high compared to all IDE’s and is capable of working on all platforms.
This includes main features such as:
- Management of project
- Code completion
- Unit testing
- Debugger of interaction
- Code refactoring
- Highlighting of syntax
- Plugins are required.