A smart pointer handles the allocation and deletion of the memory it owns. To support easy adoption of RAII principles, the C++ Standard Library provides three smart pointer types: std::unique_ptr, std::shared_ptr, and std::weak_ptr. The principle of RAII guarantees that all resources get properly returned to the operating system when the owning object goes out of scope. That object creates, or receives, the newly allocated resource in its constructor, and deletes it in its destructor. Resources (heap memory, file handles, sockets, and so on) should be owned by an object. Modern C++ emphasizes the principle of resource acquisition is initialization (RAII). Leaks are often caused by a failure to call delete for memory that was allocated with new. One of the major classes of bugs in C-style programming is the memory leak. In the Microsoft C++ compiler, you can set the /std compiler option to specify which version of the standard to use for your project. Unless noted otherwise, the features listed here are available in C++11 and later. The following sections provide an overview of the main features of modern C++. Modern C++ code is simpler, safer, more elegant, and still as fast as ever. However, in modern C++ code you should need them less and less. The old C-programming facilities are still there when you need them. The evolution of C++ has emphasized features that greatly reduce the need to use C-style idioms. They may enable great performance, but can also spawn bugs and complexity. As a result, C++ has always permitted C-style programming, with raw pointers, arrays, null-terminated character strings, and other features. One of the original requirements for C++ was backward compatibility with the C language. Even libraries and compilers for other programming languages get written in C++. C++ can create almost any kind of program: Games, device drivers, HPC, cloud, desktop, embedded, and mobile apps, and much more. It enables access to low-level hardware features, to maximize speed and minimize memory requirements. C++ supplies highly optimized standard libraries. The language is more flexible than other languages: It can work at the highest levels of abstraction, and down at the level of the silicon. Well-written C++ programs are fast and efficient. Since its creation, C++ has become one of the most widely used programming languages in the world.

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