C++ Engineering

Modern C++ done deliberately: resources managed by construction, types that carry meaning, and tooling that catches what eyes miss.

When to use

• C++ services, tooling, game/perf code, cross-platform libraries.
• Modernizing legacy C++ toward C++17/20/23.

Method

1. RAII everywhere: resources (memory, files, sockets, locks) owned by objects; destructors clean up; no manual pairing.
2. Value semantics first: prefer values, const, and references; move semantics where copies are expensive; follow the Rule of Zero (write special members only when you must).
3. Smart pointers with intent: unique_ptr default; shared_ptr only for real shared ownership; weak_ptr to break cycles. No raw owning pointers in new code.
4. STL-first: algorithms over hand loops; containers matched to access patterns; ranges where available.
5. Exceptions policy: pick one per codebase (exceptions on/off), document it, and be consistent.
6. Tooling gates: clang-tidy + clang-format; ASan/UBSan/TSan test builds; warnings as errors.
7. Templates sparingly: for real genericity, not vanity; keep error messages readable.
8. ABI discipline: for libraries: stable interfaces, pimpl where needed, versioned symbols.

Quality gates

• clang-tidy clean on the diff; warnings-as-errors build green.
• Sanitizer-clean test run.
• No raw owning pointers or manual new/delete in new code.
• Rule of Zero honored (special members only when justified).

Red lines

• No dangling references across async boundaries.
• No macros where language features exist.

Related

c-engineering (FFI boundaries) · rust-engineering (when rewriting hot paths) · testing-strategy.