Best IDE for c++

Question

So basically I'm currently using visual studio but I've seen a lot of people mostly professionals use visual studio code for c++ and else. I tried to search on the web but the result are very mixed. So which one is best and what are the thing this one do best than the other for logical and graphic programming?

Answer 1

I used visual studio for several years on my windows OS and have to switch to CLion when I started using linux. Here's my comparison

1. Visual studio (not visual studio code) is very advanced and easy to use. It has builtin support for experimental and very new c++ API like the c++20 modules

2. CLion is good too, but uses cmake. You need to learn cmake to get the full potential of your project. It does not fully support the c++20, module btw

Well, I'll suggest that you start using CLion. This is because I love Jetbrains (the manufacturer) products and I'm a fan of Jetbrains product. tbh there's no other reason for that.

As for visual studio code (not visual studio). It's good for simple project. No professional programmer would use visual studio code for their project. I've never seen any. It lacks proper debugging tools, advanced autocomplete, and many features needed for a professional work

Answer 2

https://www.sololearn.com/Discuss/1238627/?ref=app

Answer 3

Wilbur Jaywright lol. Also WalterXD there is no such thing my friend. It’s all personal preferrence and depends on your project requirements. VS is good. But so is CLion, Code::Blocks, Eclipse, Xcode, Qt Creator, NetBeans, et cetera.

What OS are you using? If you’re using macOS and plan on building applications for Apple’s ecosystem perhaps give Xcode a chance.

What features do you need? Are you working in a specific framework? If you’re working in Qt’s framework perhaps give Qt Creator a chance.

For small scripts and quick edits I personally prefer command-line based lightweight solutions like Vim (more of an advanced text editor than a modern IDE). My best friend swears by Sublime (also a text editor).

Good luck. ))

Answer 4

Wilbur Jaywright completely agree. Very customizable but much more advanced and difficult to fully adapt-to/master.

WalterXD If you want something lightweight and beginner friendly I’d personally recommend Linux Mint MATE (sub-500MB of RAM as an idle system, even slightly less than the Xfce variant after testing all 3. Compare this to Windows 10/11 which use around 2-5GB idly. Yikes). It’s based on Ubuntu and it’s very good at getting out of your way as an OS and letting you just use your programs with minimal hassle.

Answer 5

A “code block“ is a block of code, not code that gets stuck (although that is a thing).

Answer 6

X—X I think I'll stick to visual studio because I use windows (even tho I plan to switch to arch linux ) and I know almost every shortcut by heart so... But thanks for the recommendations ^-^

Answer 7

WalterXD Sounds like a good plan! I’m glad I was able to help ))

Answer 8

^ Wilbur Jaywright +1, completely agree. A text editor or an IDE is merely a tool to optimize workflow and enhance your development process. Nothing more nothing less. If you typed up your C++ code on the Windows 3.5 Notepad and it worked when complied, then it works. Your code either works or it doesn’t. Optimization (time complexity), best practices, clarity/comments, et cetera all come after that basic truth. These are all very important as well, but I digress.

(+1 in spirit cause I currently can’t +1 in Q&A or message users still for some reason, but it’s the thought that counts)

Answer 9

I decided to use VSCode for the coding IDE, because:

I want to develop for Windows and Linux. While I develop I want to be able to build the project on both environments.

VSCode lets me use a Windows laptop, but I can also connect VSCode directly to a Linux VPS via SSH (use addon) and build the project under that environment too. I use github (which is also built into VSCode via addons) to push the code to and from each environment depending on which laptop I'm using.

I also setup 1 laptop so I can use it while offline, and it will use msys2 for the C++ dev backend with CMake.
CMake lets me build the project under different platforms easily (just make a different CMakeLists.txt file for each platform).

I'm only at the stage of writing command line utility so far but it's been working well. Once I get to the stage of wanting to create GUI projects I will probably have to switch to using Qt Creator, but starting out using C++ like I have has taught me a whole lot of stuff that's usually never explained in C++ coding tutorials.

Answer 10

You’re comparing apples to an apple orchard owned by the U.S.S.R. government during a parade. VS Code is a text editor compared to full and fat VS.

Answer 11

K thanks, but everyone is saying code blocks

Answer 12

WalterXD Arch is the Linux distro of Linux distros. I do not recommend it for a beginner. IDK where you at but I strongly suggest Fedora, possibly the KDE Plasma spin, instead.

Answer 13

X—X Yeah linux mint mate sounds better and I don't wanna use all my ram. I heard it's a smooth and efficient operating system And technically I already have arch linux on my android ;)

Answer 14

Bhai mujhe English language nhi aati to me kese sekhu

Answer 15

Teach me

Answer 16

Melle thank you for your recommendation. I will continue to use vs ( or maybe CLion later but I'll continue with vs for learning ) and I'll be working toward professional work so... Anyways thank you everyone for the tips!

Answer 17

Melle it’s nonsense that you can’t use a particular editor for “professional work.“ Professional just means you get paid, and any kind of “You’re not a real programmer if you ABC” is hogwash.

Answer 18

@wilbur, professional in my context is not limited to "getting paid". It's when your Github highlight is having "full green" and you're actually writing code, making new commits etc at most 18hrs per day (this is how much I work 2yrs ago).

When I was a beginner, I would never buy a premium of ANYTHING or use free version of IDE. Later, my job and task keeps demanding for them implicitly. I'm using CLIon premium now and it autocomplete features has helped me about 4832 times for this month. Other features like debugging has helped me way even more. You need these for a actual job.

Now let's get to other features like "codewithme", wsl and any versioning control that should be running immediately. You can only get those on some premium IDEs.

Lastly, I believe all of us aren't a real programmer including my self. There's a term I call it... We are just a "tool user". Real programmers are right there doing the standard libraries

Answer 19

Respectfully… This comment is genuinely kind of an insane take. Immediately it causes one to make their own definition of the word professional which is always a fantastic start. Then this is followed with stating how excessive commits on Github (18hrs a day) = professionality. I’ve never even sat/layed down in a singular spot for more than 10hrs in my entire life, why would you do this. Balance is important in life.

The middle of your post is fine I suppose because different jobs may have different requirements and a certain tools/IDEs may best maximize such tasks.

Finally, we’re not all solely “tool users.” That’s a script kiddie my friend. Perhaps you’re a tool user, which is fine. I use standard libraries very oftenly, who codes in C++ and doesn’t ever use standard libraries? I work with standard libraries all the time.