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Boost Libraries

What Does Boost Libraries Mean?

Boost libraries consist of a
set of over 80 libraries for the C++ programming language. The libraries
are available for free and can be used for both free and proprietary software
projects. Boost supports a number of tasks and structures such as unit testing,
image processing, multithreading, pseudorandom number generation, linear
algebra and regular expressions.

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Techopedia Explains Boost Libraries

Boost provides a number of advantages:

  • The libraries are free for use in all applications.
  • The libraries are peer-reviewed and no library is passed before it goes through a comprehensive list of test suites.
  • It provides a wide number of functionalities that are platform-independent.
  • The features of the libraries are not interdependent, which allows the features to be used in software applications independently.
  • The libraries are credible because many Boost developers are on the C++ standards committee.

Some of the important libraries in Boost are:

  • any – A safe and generic container for value types
  • bind and mem_fn – Generalized binders for member functions and function/object/pointers
  • call_traits – Defines types for the passing of parameters
  • concept check – Provides generic tools for programming purpose

The unique selling point of Boost is that it provides ready-made libraries for specific purposes. To build a software application, all the developer needs to do is to pick out the right library and use it, with no need to develop code from scratch.

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