C++ for Embedded: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Myths

Embedded systems and IoT are among the top technologies shaping the modern world. It’s hard to imagine a world without, for example, the mobile devices we are so used to. Behind these technologies is C++, a programming language that makes it all happen.

Whether you are running a C++ development company or want to hire someone to develop an embedded system, there is a lot you need to understand. This includes the hardware, software, firmware, and anything in between. But most importantly, you must know why this language is ideal for such applications.
Today, we will examine why C++ developers prefer this language for embedded systems—its advantages. We will also consider its limitations and myths. Keep reading.

Advantages of C++ for Embedded Systems

C++ is one of the major programming languages in the world today. It’s much easier to hire C++ developers because the language has its print on many major technologies.  Created by Bjarne Stroustrup, a computer scientist in 1985, C++ is an extension of the C programming language that has been around since 1972. C came as an improvement of B, which had replaced assembly language to improve machine learning. It was particularly used in UNIX operating systems.

Modern C++ enhances the highly functional and structured paradigms found in C. The C++ market report shows just how popular the langueg as become with statistics indicating. Research presents it as a language that has run the world of technology for decades. Thus, it’s a language that has become so much more reliable.  Here are the reasons why it’s a great programming language:

Easy to Use

Among the main features of the C++ language is its use of object-oriented programming. It also has a wide range of templates and tools that give it great reliability for modern developers. Many C++ development services prefer to use this language in embedded systems because of its scalability and the ease of reuse of some of the code.  
For instance, the templates allow embedded system development engineers to create multiple objects based on similar behaviors within the code.

It is highly portable.

Portability is a feature that is not only viable in the hardware world. It’s also crucial in software applications. C++ is one of the programs that have shown just how important portability is.

Because parts of the code can be reused, it can be transferred from one device to another.  This makes it easy for developers to achieve more use of the language with minimum use of storage.

It Comes With Standard Library

Another reason why developers prefer C++ for embedded systems is because it features a standard library. Engineers easily get the tools to create optimal code easily. This is a crucial advantage, where engineers can leverage what other engineers have built into the language’s basic features.    

This means one does not have to start from scratch. Instead, they just inherit from those libraries, customizing the features to meet their desired outcome.

Stability and Reliability

One of the reasons embedded software solutions can last for decades is because they are established in C++ languages. They can operate for such a long time because of the language’s stability.
Aside from that, it’s also a gateway language for many engineers. It’s hard to learn at first. But once one master’s it,  it’s easier for them to understand it than other languages like Python and Java.

The Community

Another reason why C++ is great for embedded systems is the support system. Since the language is widely used, one has a large support community to turn to whenever they need help. Aside from that, it’s updated often to make it more useful.

Most importantly, C++ is incredibly good for GUIs. It promises especially excellent tools for embedded systems.  The tools and techniques it offers are quite attractive when embedded systems need GUI. The object-oriented programming functionality of the language makes it easy to use in these systems.

Limitations

Even though C++ has all these advantages, it is not without some limitations. Here are the main ones:

Complexity

Perhaps one of the biggest obstacles developers face when using C++ is its strictness and complexity. Hence, it’s difficult to learn. Even seasoned developers will agree that learning C++ is not a joke.

Companies that want to practice embedded systems need therefore to have large budgets to recruit and retain knowledgeable developers. It can be hard for someone without a budget.

Challenges in Maintaining the Codebase

The language’s complexity sometimes makes it challenging to maintain the codebase. There are a lot of major companies that use C++. Ironically, they cannot use anything else if they set their systems on it in the 80s or 90s. They risk breaking something that will be hard to fix if they do so.

Memory Management Issues

Most modern programming languages have a garbage collector that helps with the automatic management of memory. It frees up the memory whenever it’s required to make operations smoother and more efficient. C++ does not have such features. This leaves the burden of managing memory for the program, which can be a limitation. Memory errors can bring in serious bugs and potential crashes if not handled on time.

The Myths

There are a lot of myths about C++ for embedded systems. Here are some of them:
C++ produces bloated machine code and it can be quite slow for embedded systems. While this may sound true for many people, engineers can easily avoid the bloated machine code to make the language run more smoothly. You just need to avoid using the C++ features that cause such bloats.

C++ will not work for embedded systems. Many believe that C++ as a whole cannot be used in these systems and will cause performance issues. That is not true. As long as the developer knows what they are doing, using the language for embedded systems should be very easy.

Conclusion

C++ is a programming language that works quite well with embedded systems because it’s set close to the system hardware. It features pretty much everything that C does but with better features like object-oriented programming and type-safe cast. Its advantages like, ease of use, portability, standard library, and stability make it a valuable tool for embedded systems. However, it’s not without some disadvantages – hard to learn, codebase obstacles, memory challenges etc., amplified by the myths mentioned above. Generally, it’s a great language for embedded systems if the developer understands what they are doing to avoid the issues.