C++ Libraries 2024: A Guide to Powerful Tools for Pros

The C++ Ecosystem: Not Just a Language, But a Whole Universe

If you've ever written in C++ for more than a couple of weeks, you know: the standard library is the foundation, but it's far from everything. The real power is unleashed when you connect third-party libraries. Imagine you're building a house. The standard library is the foundation and walls. Libraries like Boost, Qt, or OpenCV are the ready-made plumbing, electrical wiring, and smart home system. You can do without them, but it will be long and painful.

In this article, we'll break down popular C++ libraries that are actually used in production. No fluff, with code examples and honest comments. Let's go.

Boost: The Swiss Army Knife of C++ Developers

Let's start with a legend. Boost is perhaps the most famous collection of libraries for C++. Many of its components later migrated into the standard: smart pointers, regular expressions, the filesystem library. If you're writing a serious project, chances are you already have Boost in your dependencies.

What's inside?

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• Boost.Asio — network programming and asynchronous I/O
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• Boost.Beast — HTTP and WebSocket based on Asio
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• Boost.Graph — working with graphs and algorithms on them
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• Boost.Math — special mathematical functions
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• Boost.Serialization — data serialization
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Example of a simple HTTP client with Boost.Beast:

#include <boost/beast/core.hpp>\n#include <boost/beast/http.hpp>\n#include <boost/asio/connect.hpp>\n#include <boost/asio/ip/tcp.hpp>\n#include <iostream>\n\nnamespace beast = boost::beast;\nnamespace http = beast::http;\nnamespace net = boost::asio;\nusing tcp = net::ip::tcp;\n\nint main() {\n    net::io_context ioc;\n    tcp::resolver resolver(ioc);\n    tcp::socket socket(ioc);\n\n    auto const results = resolver.resolve("example.com", "80");\n    net::connect(socket, results.begin(), results.end());\n\n    http::request<http::string_body> req{http::verb::get, "/", 11};\n    req.set(http::field::host, "example.com");\n    http::write(socket, req);\n\n    beast::flat_buffer buffer;\n    http::response<http::dynamic_body> res;\n    http::read(socket, buffer, res);\n\n    std::cout << res << std::endl;\n    return 0;\n}\n

Boost is a must-have for anyone working with popular C++ libraries at a professional level.

Qt: When You Need More Than Just a GUI

Many people think Qt is just buttons and windows. In reality, it's a giant framework: networking, databases, multithreading, 2D/3D graphics, working with XML and JSON, and even machine learning (via Qt for MCU). Qt is an ecosystem within an ecosystem.

Why is Qt still popular?

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• Cross-platform out of the box (Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS)
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• Powerful signal-slot mechanism
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• Ready-made widgets and QML for interfaces
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• Excellent documentation
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Mini-example: reading a JSON file with Qt:

#include <QCoreApplication>\n#include <QFile>\n#include <QJsonDocument>\n#include <QJsonObject>\n#include <QDebug>\n\nint main(int argc, char *argv[]) {\n    QCoreApplication a(argc, argv);\n\n    QFile file("data.json");\n    if (!file.open(QIODevice::ReadOnly)) {\n        qWarning() << "Cannot open file";\n        return 1;\n    }\n\n    QByteArray rawData = file.readAll();\n    QJsonDocument doc = QJsonDocument::fromJson(rawData);\n    QJsonObject obj = doc.object();\n\n    qDebug() << "Name:" << obj["name"].toString();\n    qDebug() << "Version:" << obj["version"].toDouble();\n\n    return 0;\n}\n

If you need not just code, but a full-fledged application with an interface — Qt is your choice. It is one of the most po