C vs. C++ programming: the major differences

As the name implies, C++ is an extension of C and has the capability to run most of C code, but C cannot run C++ code. Here are the major differences between C and C++:

Paradigm:

C follows the procedural programming paradigm, while C++ uses a multi-paradigm language (procedural and object oriented). C programming focuses on the steps and procedure of the program, while C++ centers on the data rather than the process. For the same reason, it’s also easier to implement and edit the C++ code.

Security:

The data in C is static, weak, and not extremely secure, but in C++ it’s just the opposite: secure and hidden. This difference is due to specific Object Oriented Programming (OOP) features that are not present in C, such as Data Hiding.

Approach:

C programming uses a top-down approach, while C++ uses a bottom-up one. The program in C is formulated step by step and each phase is processed into detail; in C++, the base elements are first formulated and then linked together, giving rise to larger systems.

Function:

C does not support function overloading (two functions having the same name in the same program), while C++ does with the help of Polymorphism (an OOP feature).

C is function-driven and C++ is object-driven, meaning functions build up a C program and objects build up a C++ program.

Functions cannot be used inside structures in C, but can in C++.

Features:

The NAMESPACE feature in C++ is non-existent in C. C++ uses NAMESPACE to evade name collisions. For example, two students enrolled in the same college cannot have the same roll number, but two students in different universities may. The universities are two different namespace and therefore can have the same roll number or identifier, but the same institution is one namespace and may not have two students with the same identifier.

C does not allow reference variables (where two variable names point to the same memory location) like C++ does.

Language:

C programming uses a low-level language, and C++ uses a middle-level dialect. A low-level language is regarded as difficult to interpret and less user friendly. C++ has features of both low-level and high-level languages, concentrating on the program itself and what’s going on in the machine hardware, making it classified as middle-level.

The standard input and output functions differ in the two languages. C uses scanf and printf, while C++ uses cin>> and cout

Source: Durofy