C vs C++: Difference and Comparison

The user of a computer must be able to communicate with it. For any command and output, a medium of instruction is needed. A computer certainly cannot understand simple English or any other human language.

To solve this dilemma, computer languages like C and C++, amongst many more, were invented.

Key Takeaways

1. C is a procedural programming language, while C++ supports procedural and object-oriented programming.
2. C++ includes features like classes, objects, and inheritance, which are absent in C.
3. Standard Template Library (STL) is available in C++, providing a range of predefined classes and functions for common tasks.

C vs C++

C is a general-purpose programming language that was originally developed in the 1970s. It is a low-level language used for system programming. C++ is an extension of the C language developed in the 1980s. It is designed to support object-oriented programming (OOP) and for general purposes.

C is a procedural programming language that uses a series of steps for the program to solve a given problem.

It has a small fixed number of keywords (32) and a large number of operators that users can use to develop any program with low memory access and separated data and functions.

C++ is both a procedural and object-oriented programming language. It is a combination of both the variety. It has a comparatively more significant number of keywords (63) and is an object-oriented language.

It supports polymorphism, encapsulation, and inheritance. It has more extensive memory access and is more manipulative or user-friendly.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	C	C++
Developed By	C++ was developed in 1979 by Bjarne Stroustrup, a Danish computer scientist.	C does not support OPP. This data encapsulation, polymorphism and inheritance us not supported by C.
Type of Language	C is a procedure-oriented programming language.	C++ is a procedure-oriented programming language as well as an object-oriented programming language.
OOP Support	Data encapsulation enhances data security and ensures that data structures and functions are used only by the user and not any external code.	C++, on the other hand, supports data encapsulation, polymorphism and inheritance.
Security	As data is not encapsulated in C, it is open to access by other codes.	C does not support features such as function operator, overloading, namespace feature, variable reference functionality, virtual and friend operations and exceptional handling.
Supported Features	The header file used by the C program is Studio.h	C++ supports features such as function operator, overloading, namespace feature, the reference variable functionality, virtual and friend operations and exceptional handling.
Header file	The header file used by C++ is stream.h	The header file used by C++ is iostream.h
Keywords	C programming language has 32 keywords.	C++ program has 63 keywords.
Access modifiers	C lacks access modifiers.	Access modifiers are present in C++.
Driven Type	Essentially C is focused on method or process rather than data. It is function-driven.	C++ is focused on data rather than the method or process. In essence, it is object driven.

What is C?

C is a programming language developed by Dennis Ritchie, an American computer scientist between 1969 and 1973 at AT&T Bell Labs. C is a procedural programming language with a defined structure.

The defined structure of a C program is as follows :

1. Header ( #include <studio.h>)
2. main()
3. Variable Declaration
4. Body
5. Return

This language uses a small number of keywords and operators to solve any problem in a series of defined steps. This programming language is procedure or method oriented. It provides core concepts like strings, arrays, functions etc., and can be used for low-level programming.

It cannot be used for internet programming. As the C programming language provides essential functions and keywords, it is also called the mother of all programming languages, as most trace back their base to this language.

However, it does not support functions or operators overloading and data encapsulation, which makes data insecure as they exist as free files on the device that other codes can access.

They are not machine-dependent; however, they use pointer arithmetic, giving the language the dual nature of being both low-level and high-level, like a programming language.

However, the language is easy to understand and use and is the base of almost all programming languages that followed it.

What is C++?

C++ was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup, a Danish computer scientist, in 1979.C++ is essentially a superset of the C language. It used a similar syntax and code structure.

It, however, has a more significant number of keywords and operators. Its grammar is slightly extended. This language, however, supports procedure-oriented as well as object-oriented programming.

Object orientation programming (OPP) supports inheritance, polymorphism, encapsulation, and data abstraction. This allows the programming to be more secure as data remains encapsulated.

It supports other features like variable and operator overloading, exceptional handling, various functions, and functions inside a structure. These added features make the programming language stand up a notch and more user-friendly.

Main Differences Between C and C++

1. C is a structure, method, or procedure-oriented programming language, while C++ is a culmination of object and procedure orientation.
2. C language contains all the functions and keywords of the C++ language and hence is called its subset, while the latter is called its superset with its advanced and added features.
3. Data encapsulation is missing in C as it is not object-oriented making information insecure. Data encapsulation allows information hiding to make the object-oriented C++ programming language more secure.
4. The header file of C programs is the studio.h while that of C++ is a stream.h
5. C has malloc() and calloc() functions for memory allocation, while C++ has a new operator. C also has a free() function for memory clearing, while C++ has a delete operator.
6. C has scanf() and print () operators for input and output, while C++ uses cin and cout for the same action.

References

1. https://bhavikjoshi35.wordpress.com/2015/12/10/c-programming-language/
2. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=q7fomH9lOU8C&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=c%2B%2B+programming+language&ots=8dTHyxB4MD&sig=qq8TkVn_4Aa1jvRRdelh4cfWiRA