C++ in Embedded Systems. A practical transition from C to modern C++

Amar Mahmutbegović, Steve Branam

Transitioning from C can be daunting, with concerns about performance overhead, added complexity, and unfamiliar tooling. Addressing these challenges, Amar Mahmutbegovic, an advocate for modern C++ in embedded development, shows you how to harness zero-cost abstractions, compile-time checks, and powerful modern C++ capabilities to preserve performance while achieving safer, cleaner code. This book bridges the gap between traditional C and advanced C++, helping you retain the efficiency C developers demand while unlocking the safety and expressiveness of modern C++. Starting with a modern development environment setup, including a Docker container for seamless example replication, you’ll overcome the hurdles of using the C++ standard library in memory-constrained settings and get acquainted with the Embedded Template Library (ETL) as an alternative. The book walks you through essential C++ concepts before exploring advanced topics such as templates, strong typing, error handling, compile-time computation, and RAII. Through practical examples, you'll implement a sequencer, write a type-safe HAL, and apply patterns like Command, State, and Observer to solve common embedded development problems. By the end of this book, you’ll have learned how to apply modern C++ to develop robust, modular firmware with performance matching or exceeding hand-coded C solutions.