C++ Coding Standards (C++ Core Guidelines)

Comprehensive coding standards for modern C++ (C++17/20/23) derived from the C++ Core Guidelines. Enforces type safety, resource safety, immutability, and clarity.

When to Use

• Writing new C++ code (classes, functions, templates)
• Reviewing or refactoring existing C++ code
• Making architectural decisions in C++ projects
• Enforcing consistent style across a C++ codebase
• Choosing between language features (e.g., enum vs enum class, raw pointer vs smart pointer)

When NOT to Use

• Non-C++ projects
• Legacy C codebases that cannot adopt modern C++ features
• Embedded/bare-metal contexts where specific guidelines conflict with hardware constraints (adapt selectively)

Cross-Cutting Principles

These themes recur across the entire guidelines and form the foundation:

1. RAII everywhere (P.8, R.1, E.6, CP.20): Bind resource lifetime to object lifetime
2. Immutability by default (P.10, Con.1-5, ES.25): Start with const/constexpr; mutability is the exception
3. Type safety (P.4, I.4, ES.46-49, Enum.3): Use the type system to prevent errors at c…