The Boost C++ libraries is a set of libraries to complement the C++ standard libraries. The set contains more than a hundred libraries that we can use to increase our productivity in C++ programming. It is also used when our requirements go beyond what is available in the STL. It provides source code under Boost Licence, which means that it allows us to use, modify, and distribute the libraries for free, even for commercial use.
The development of Boost is handled by the Boost community, which consists of C++ developers from around the world. The mission of the community is to develop high-quality libraries as a complement to STL. Only proven libraries will be added to the Boost libraries.
Note
For detailed information about Boost libraries, go to www.boost.org. And if you want to contribute developing libraries to Boost, you can join the developer mailing list at lists.boost.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/boost.
The entire source code of the libraries is available on the official GitHub page at github.com/boostorg.
As we know, using Boost libraries will increase programmer productivity. Moreover, by using Boost libraries, we will get advantages such as these:
- It is open source, so we can inspect the source code and modify it if needed.
- Its license allows us to develop both open source and close source projects. It also allows us to commercialize our software freely.
- It is well documented and we can find it libraries all explained, along with sample code from the official site.
- It supports almost any modern operating system, such as Windows and Linux. It also supports many popular compilers.
- It is a complement to STL instead of a replacement. It means using Boost libraries will ease those programming processes that are not handled by STL yet. In fact, many parts of Boost are included in the standard C++ library.