C++17 & C++20 Features
Modern C++ (17/20/23) adds features that make C++ safer, more expressive, and easier to write — structured bindings, std::optional, concepts for template constraints, ranges for pipeline-style data processing, and coroutines for async programming.
40 min•By Priygop Team•Last updated: Feb 2026
Modern C++ Features
- Structured bindings (C++17) — auto [name, age] = person; Decompose structs, pairs, tuples into named variables
- std::optional (C++17) — optional<int> findUser(). Returns a value or 'nothing' — safer than null pointers or sentinel values
- std::variant (C++17) — Type-safe union: variant<int, string, double>. Replaces unsafe C unions
- if constexpr (C++17) — Compile-time if: if constexpr (is_integral_v<T>). Eliminates branches at compile time
- Concepts (C++20) — template<Sortable T> void sort(T&). Named constraints replace SFINAE. Clearer error messages
- Ranges (C++20) — auto result = nums | views::filter(isEven) | views::transform(square). Pipeline-style lazy evaluation
- Coroutines (C++20) — co_await, co_yield, co_return. Stackless coroutines for async I/O and generators
- std::format (C++20) — format('Hello, {}! You are {} years old.', name, age). Type-safe string formatting like Python
- Modules (C++20) — import std; replaces #include. Faster compilation, no header guards needed
- std::expected (C++23) — expected<Value, Error>. Like Rust's Result type — return value OR error