DevelopmentLearning Resources

What are the best resources to learn C/C++?

23

Options
Considered

17

User
Recs.

Mar 11, 2018

Last
Updated

Here’s the Deal

23 Options Considered

23 Options Considered	Price	Price	Languages
-- SoloLearn	Free	Free	C++, Java, JavaScript, C#, Python, SQL, PHP, Swift, Ruby, JQuery, HTML, CSS.
-- Learn C The Hard Way	-	–	–
-- C++ Primer	-	–	–
-- Accelerated C++	-	–	–
-- Effective C++	-	–	–

SoloLearn

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Top Pro

Share and modify others' projects

Top Con

Limited usefulness for intermediate or experienced programmers

No advanced coding challenges. Look for those on other sites like hackerrank. See More

Top Pro

Excellent mobile apps available

Top Con

Only the most commonly used languages are covered.

C++, Java, JavaScript, C#, Python, SQL, PHP, Swift, Ruby, JQuery, HTML, CSS. You won't find anything less common like Haskell, Erlang, Elixir, Common Lisp, Scheme, Clojure, Rust, etc. See More

Top Pro

Easy for beginners

Anyone can get started with this. See More

Top Pro

Browser-based code playgrounds

No software installation needed, just a modern web browser. On mobile devices though the mobile apps are highly recommended. See More

Top Pro

Offline learning mode for mobile apps

Allows learning while disconnected from the net. See More

Top Pro

Gamification

XP, levels, badges, certificates, etc. See More

Top Pro

Completely free

Specs

Languages:C++, Java, JavaScript, C#, Python, SQL, PHP, Swift, Ruby, JQuery, HTML, CSS.

Community support:Yes

Mobile apps:Yes

See All Specs >

Learn C The Hard Way

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Designed for people new to C

The book covers very basics such as C syntax, idioms, compilations, make files, linkers and how to find and prevent bugs. See More

Top Con

Has errors

Includes technical errors throughout the book. See More

Top Pro

Very practical and hands on

Contains many exercises that will require getting hands dirty very early on. See More

Top Pro

Can be combined with a video course

A complimentary course is available on Udemy. The course costs $29. See More

Top Pro

Free

The book is available online for free. See More

C++ Primer

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Great for people who know just the very basics of programming

This book is excellent for people who have basic knowledge of programming concepts or have read an introductory book on programming or C++. See More

Top Con

No mention of threads, atomic instructions, or memory model

Top Pro

Explains C++11 extension well

5th edition adds information on C++11 additions and integrates it throughout the book so it's not just an appendix with new stuff. See More

Top Con

Poor for people with no previous programming experience

Top Pro

Covers the core of the language without omitting anything critical

The book describes core concepts of C++ programming in-depth. It covers various nuances that would otherwise be easy to misinterpret. See More

Top Con

Does not cover template metaprogramming

Accelerated C++

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Designed to quickly bring you up to speed on the basic C++ elements

The book starts out by covering STL with practical examples and only later moves on to class design, inheritance, and polymorphism. See More

Top Pro

Great for people who are familiar with at least some other language

This book is excellent for people who have some knowledge of programming concepts or have read an introductory book on programming or C++. See More

Effective C++

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It's the best second book C++ programmers should read

Top Pro

Acts as a guide to best practises

The C Programming Language

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Simple narrative that breaks down concepts to their core

Thinking in C++

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Great for people with background in C

The book often compares how things would be done in C as opposed to C++. See More

Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++

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Assumes no previous programming experience

Beej's Guide to C Programming

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Free

Programming in C

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Lots of example code

Each topic has good example code. See More

Top Pro

Lots of exercises

Each chapter has good exercises at the end that allows making sure the knowledge is solidified. See More

Top Pro

Great explanations

The C book

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Free

The book is available online for free. See More

Top Pro

Great for programmers with some experience with high-level procedural programming languages

Essential C

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Free

The book is available as a free pdf. See More

Top Pro

Good quick rundown of the basic features of C

The New C Standard

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Free

Available for free as a pdf. See More

C++ Templates: The Complete Guide

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Very practical with great examples

Top Pro

Great for intermediate C++ programmers

This books provides a comprehensive guide to C++ templates, so it's perfect for developers with some experience with the language. See More

Specs

Price:Depends on Implementation

Standard: ISO/IEC 14882 or C++17

Modern C++ Design

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Great for programmers who want to become experts in C++

Covers various tricks using C++'s template mechanism and advanced design patterns. See More

The New Boston C Course

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Video tutorials

Tutorials are presented as videos, making them easy to follow / see what's going on at each step. Many people find this format less daunting and easier to take in than traditional text based tutorials. See More

Top Pro

Setup instructions included

The first video explains how to set up everything you need to get started on your machine. A lot of tutorials tell you about the language but leave you in the dark on how to get it up and running, creating a stumbling block before the first post. See More

Top Pro

Suitable for beginners

No assumptions are made about prior knowledge, meaning anyone can start watching and pick up the basics of the language fairly quickly. See More

Beej's Guide to Network Programming

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Free

Available for free online and as a pdf. See More

A Tutorial on Pointers and Arrays in C

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Free

Available for free online. See More

C Programming

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Continuously improved and updated

The resource is crowdsourced with anyone being able to update and improve it. As such it can be kept up to date easily and bad parts improved with time. See More

Top Pro

Free

Available online for free. See More

The New Boston C++ GUI with Qt Course

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Top Pro

Video tutorials

Tutorials are presented as videos, making them easy to follow / see what's going on at each step. Many people find this format less daunting and easier to take in than traditional text based tutorials. See More

17 Community Recommendations

Request recommendations from the community

Contributor for 3 months

1

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0

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The New C Standard

Recommended 3 months ago

Asif hasn’t added their experience, pros or cons to their recommendation.

UnderstandingAltjira

Contributor for 4 months

1

Total
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0

Total
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Accelerated C++

Recommended 4 months ago

UnderstandingAltjira hasn’t added their experience, pros or cons to their recommendation.

Contributor for 8 months

242

Total
Recs.

17K

Total
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Recommended 4 months ago

Completely free

Offline learning mode for mobile apps

Browser-based code playgrounds

Easy for beginners

Excellent mobile apps available

Share and modify others' projects

Only the most commonly used languages are covered.

Limited usefulness for intermediate or experienced programmers

Contributor for 2 years

45

Total
Recs.

1.9K

Total
Karma

Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++

Recommended 2 years ago

Andrés hasn’t added their experience, pros or cons to their recommendation.

Contributor for 2 years

10

Total
Recs.

0

Total
Karma

Recommended 2 years ago

It's the best second book C++ programmers should read

Acts as a guide to best practises

Contributor for 2 years

10

Total
Recs.

0

Total
Karma

Accelerated C++

Recommended 2 years ago

Great for people who are familiar with at least some other language

Designed to quickly bring you up to speed on the basic C++ elements

Contributor for 4 years

2.8K

Total
Recs.

1M

Total
Karma

Programming in C

Recommended 3 years ago

Lots of example code

Lots of exercises

Contributor for 4 years

91

Total
Recs.

7.9K

Total
Karma

Accelerated C++

Recommended 4 years ago

Great for people who are familiar with at least some other language

Designed to quickly bring you up to speed on the basic C++ elements

Contributor for 4 years

38

Total
Recs.

0

Total
Karma

Recommended 4 years ago

Covers the core of the language without omitting anything critical

Contributor for 5 years

38

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0

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Recommended 4 years ago

Tribse hasn’t added their experience, pros or cons to their recommendation.

No highlighted recommendations.

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