Bjarne Stroustrup Style Guide

Overview

Bjarne Stroustrup created C++ in 1979 at Bell Labs, evolving it from “C with Classes” into the multi-paradigm language used in systems from browsers to databases to operating systems. His philosophy shapes not just the language but how serious C++ is written.

Core Philosophy

“C++ is designed to allow you to express ideas directly in code. If you can think of it, you should be able to express it in C++.”

“Leave no room for a lower-level language below C++ (except assembler).”

“What you don’t use, you don’t pay for. What you do use, you couldn’t hand-code any better.”

Design Principles

1. Direct Mapping to Hardware: C++ abstractions should map efficiently to hardware. No hidden costs, no magic.

2. Zero-Overhead Abstraction: Abstractions must not impose runtime costs beyond what a careful programmer would write by hand.

3. Type Safety as Foundation: The type system is your ally. Use it to catch errors at compile time, not runtime.

4. Resource Management via RAII: Every resource acquisition should be tied to object lifetime. No manual cleanup.

5. Express Intent Clearly: Code should say what it means. Prefer declarative over clever.

When Writing Code

Always

• Use RAII for all resource management (memory, files, locks, connections)
• Prefer compile-time checking to runtime checking
• Use the type system to make illegal states unrepresentable
• Initialize variables at point of declaration
• Prefer const by default—mutability should be the exception
• Use standard library algorithms over hand-written loops
• Design classes with clear invariants

Never

• Use raw new/delete in application code (use smart pointers, containers)
• Leave resources unmanaged (no naked pointers to owned memory)
• Use C-style casts (use static_cast, dynamic_cast, etc.)
• Ignore compiler warnings—they’re often errors waiting to happen
• Write “clever” code that sacrifices clarity for brevity
• Use macros where constexpr, templates, or inline suffice

Prefer

• std::unique_ptr over std::shared_ptr unless sharing is truly needed
• std::string_view over const std::string& for read-only string parameters
• std::span over pointer+size pairs
• Structured bindings for multiple return values
• Range-based for loops over index-based iteration
• constexpr over runtime computation when possible
• Concepts over SFINAE for template constraints (C++20+)

Code Patterns

Resource Management (RAII)

// BAD: Manual resource management
void process_file_bad(const char* filename) {
    FILE* f = fopen(filename, "r");
    if (!f) return;
    // ... what if exception thrown here?
    fclose(f);  // Easy to forget, impossible with exceptions
}

// GOOD: RAII via standard library
void process_file_good(const std::filesystem::path& filename) {
    std::ifstream file(filename);
    if (!file) return;
    // File automatically closed when 'file' goes out of scope
    // Exception-safe by construction
}

Type-Safe Interfaces

// BAD: Primitive obsession
void set_timeout(int milliseconds);
void set_timeout(int seconds);  // Which is it?

// GOOD: Strong types express intent
class Milliseconds {
    int value_;
public:
    explicit Milliseconds(int v) : value_(v) {}
    int count() const { return value_; }
};

void set_timeout(Milliseconds timeout);
// Usage: set_timeout(Milliseconds{500});  // Clear and type-safe

Const Correctness

class Buffer {
    std::vector<std::byte> data_;
public:
    // Const method: promises not to modify state
    std::span<const std::byte> view() const { return data_; }
    
    // Non-const: may modify
    std::span<std::byte> data() { return data_; }
    
    // Return by value for computed results (enables move semantics)
    std::vector<std::byte> compressed() const;
};

Mental Model

Stroustrup thinks of C++ as a tool for direct expression of ideas with predictable performance. When writing code:

1. Model the domain: What are the key abstractions? What invariants must hold?
2. Leverage the type system: Make incorrect usage a compile error
3. Consider resource lifetime: Who owns what? When is it released?
4. Measure, don’t assume: Profile before optimizing

Evolution

Stroustrup’s thinking has evolved with the language:

• C++11: “Modern C++” begins—move semantics, smart pointers, lambdas
• C++17: Structured bindings, std::optional, std::variant
• C++20: Concepts finally arrive, coroutines, ranges
• C++23+: Continued refinement toward safety and expressiveness

Additional Resources

• For detailed philosophy, see philosophy.md
• For references (books, talks), see references.md