Overview
- Setting up the IDE for C/C++ Programming
What IDEs are out there?
Windows
- Visual Studio
- DEV C++
- CODE::BLOCKS
macOS
- Xcode
- CLion
I don’t want to install anything
- any online IDE
What IDE should I choose?
If you are using Windows
- Visual Studio will generally be the most general thing to choose. However, it uses some sort of weird custom version of C/C++ language so that there are some modifications you have to make it function as expected. Still, it has the powerful debug tool and you can produce an exe file that can be run on any windows pc. Except the community version of it, you should pay some money to use it.
- If you are just starting coding, DEV C++ is recommended to start from. It requires much less storage on your computer, and it is good to not have the auto-complete function what you are learning how to code.
- In some coding competitions, CODE::BLOCKS is the designated IDE you can use. It allows the users to install their own Compiler. It also has same properties of DEV-C++. Among three IDEs, it is the only one that supports C, instead of C++ officially.
If you have an Apple device
- Xcode is the best IDE you can choose in most cases. It supports standard C/C++ natively. It gives the similar experience with Visual Studio, but more centralized and standard experience for free.
Other option?
- You can always use any online IDE out there. It is easy to use and access it from any online devices. However, it is not easy to develop a complicated software from it. You only have limited access to the hardware, where it can cause problem when doing some operations. It is advised to use it form simple programs.