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New IDE with C++ Support: First Look at JetBrains Nova
The market for C++ development tools has a new player. JetBrains, known for its powerful development environments, has announced JetBrains Nova — a lightweight yet functional IDE focused on C++ and systems programming. In this article, we share our first impressions and break down the key features of this new product.
What is JetBrains Nova?
Nova is positioned as a faster and less resource-intensive alternative to CLion. Unlike its bigger brother, it doesn't try to be universal — the focus is exclusively on C and C++, without support for Java, Kotlin, or Python. This decision allows developers to get maximum performance on projects of any size.
Key Features
- Lightning-fast startup and navigation — the IDE launches in 2-3 seconds, and code search and navigation work almost instantly, even in projects with hundreds of thousands of lines.
- Built-in build system — native support for CMake, Make, and Ninja. No more configuring external toolchains: everything is managed through the graphical interface.
- Smart refactoring — renaming variables, extracting functions, extracting classes. Nova understands C++17/20 semantics and doesn't touch what shouldn't be touched.
- Visual debugger — support for GDB and LLDB with a convenient dashboard for viewing variables, call stack, and memory.
- Profiling without additional plugins — built-in CPU and memory profiler based on Perf and Valgrind.
First Impression
After installation, Nova surprises with its minimalist interface. No extra panels — just the editor, terminal, and project tree. At the same time, all necessary functions are available through the context menu or hotkeys. Autocompletion works at the level of the best examples: Nova analyzes types, templates, and even template instantiation on the fly.
Working with CMake was especially pleasing. When opening a project, the IDE automatically detects CMakeLists.txt, offers to select a configuration (Debug/Release), and immediately starts configuration. Errors are highlighted in real-time, and compiler warnings are shown even before building.
Drawbacks
- No support for CUDA and OpenCL yet — for GPU programming, you'll have to use CLion or manual setup.
- Limited plugin ecosystem: only about 30 extensions are available at launch.
- Lack of a built-in Git tool (you'll need to use an external client or terminal).
Who is it for?
JetBrains Nova is an excellent choice for C++ developers who are tired of sluggish heavy IDEs and want a fast, modern tool without compromising on functionality. It will be especially appreciated by those working with embedded systems, game engines, or high-load server applications.
You can try Nova today in early access on the official JetBrains website. Versions for Linux and macOS will be released in the coming weeks.
