Header-only

Header-only

A library, usually in C or C++, is called header-only if the full definitions of all macros, functions and classes comprising the library are visible to the compiler in a header / include file formcite book
last = Wilson
first = Matthew
authorlink = Matthew Wilson
year = 2004
title = Imperfect C++
publisher = Addison-Wesley
id = ISBN 0-321-22877-4] .

The advantage of a header-only library is that it does not need to be separately compiled, packaged and installed in order to be used. All that is usually required is to define a suitable environment variable to where it resides, and then #include the file(s) into the application source.

The disadvantages include:
* brittleness - most changes to the library will require recompilation
* longer compilation times - because the compilation unit must see the implementation of all components in the included file(s), rather than just their interfaces
* code-bloat (this may be disputed) - the necessary use of inline statements in non-class functions can lead to code bloat by over-inlining.

Nonetheless, the header-only form is popular because it avoids the (often much more serious) problem of packaging.

Header-only Libraries

* Boost C++ Libraries
* STLSoft C++ Libraries
* VOLE
* [http://flecxx.org/ flecxx]

References

External links


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