cpp-standards

name	cpp-standards
description	C++ coding standards with severity-tiered rules. Use when writing, reviewing, or generating C++ code.

C++ Standards

ERROR (mandatory)

• Use RAII for all resource management — no naked new/delete
• Use smart pointers: unique_ptr by default, shared_ptr only when ownership is shared
• No raw owning pointers — raw pointers are non-owning observers only
• Enable compiler warnings: -Wall -Wextra -Werror (GCC/Clang) or /W4 /WX (MSVC)
• No undefined behavior: no dangling references, use-after-move, or data races
• Never catch exceptions by value — catch by const&

WARNING (recommended)

• Prefer auto for complex types, explicit types for clarity at API boundaries
• Use std::string_view for non-owning string parameters
• Use std::span for non-owning array parameters (C++20)
• Prefer constexpr over const for compile-time constants
• Use enum class over unscoped enum
• Rule of Zero: prefer compiler-generated constructors/destructors
• Rule of Five: if you define any special member, define all five
• Maximum function length: 50 lines

RECOMMENDATION (optional)

• Use std::optional for nullable values — no sentinel values
• Use std::variant over union types
• Use std::expected (C++23) or equivalent for error handling
• Consider std::ranges (C++20) over raw iterators
• Use structured bindings for multiple return values
• Prefer std::array over C-style arrays

Testing

• Use GoogleTest, Catch2, or doctest
• Test RAII correctness: resource cleanup on exception paths
• Use AddressSanitizer, ThreadSanitizer, UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer
• Benchmark performance-critical code with google/benchmark