C++ and Databases: A Practical Guide

The book "C++ and Databases: A Practical Guide" is a comprehensive resource for developers who want to master the interaction of the C++ language with various database management systems (DBMS). Unlike abstract theoretical materials, this book focuses on real-world examples, ready-to-use code snippets, and architectural solutions that can be immediately applied in your projects.

What is the book about?

The book covers the full data lifecycle: from the basics of SQL and schema design to implementing high-performance client-server applications in C++. You will learn:

• How to connect to popular DBMS: MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL and Microsoft SQL Server via native APIs and ODBC.
• The principles of working with libraries libpqxx, sqlite3, MySQL Connector/C++.
• How to execute SQL queries, process results, and manage transactions.
• Methods for connection pooling and data caching to improve performance.
• Integration with modern frameworks: Boost.Asio for asynchronous work, Poco::Data for access abstraction.
• How to design ORM-like layers in C++ without sacrificing performance.
• Security: protection against SQL injection, data encryption, working with Prepared Statements.

Who is this book for?

The publication is intended for intermediate and advanced C++ developers who are already familiar with the language syntax but want to delve into the area of working with databases. The book will also be useful for:

• System programmers creating high-load services.
• Game and embedded systems developers where working with SQLite is important.
• Engineers transitioning from other languages (e.g., Python or Java) to C++ for tasks requiring maximum speed.
• Senior university students in technical fields studying industrial programming.

What will you learn after reading?

• How to design an efficient database schema for a specific task.
• How to write your own connection pool without third-party dependencies.
• How to process millions of records with minimal memory consumption.
• How to integrate C++ code with web servers and REST APIs via databases.
• How to debug and profile SQL queries directly from C++ code.

Each chapter contains practical exercises and examples that can be downloaded from the book's repository. At the end, you will find a full-fledged project — an order management system with a client-server architecture, working through PostgreSQL and Boost.Asio.

The book is written in a lively style, with an emphasis on practice. The author avoids excessive academicism but does not sacrifice depth. If you want to learn how to write reliable, fast, and secure C++ code for working with databases — this guide will become your desktop reference.