Boost is a collection of libraries that extend the functionality of C++. The libraries are licensed under the Boost Software License, a very open license designed to allow Boost to be used with any project. Several Boost libraries have been accepted for incorporation into the next library technical report of the C++ standard committee.

Boost has a noticeable bias towards researching and extending the metaprogramming and generic programming features of the C++ language, with extensive use of templates, often in favour of a class-based solution. Boost has been criticized for overusing metaprogramming, causing huge, unreadable compiler errors, and for being overly hackish.

Libraries

Boost provides extension libraries in the following areas:

• Algorithms
• Broken Compiler Workarounds
• Concurrent Programming (Threads)
• Containers
• Correctness and testing
• Data Structures
• Function Objects and Higher-Order Programming
• Generic Programming
• Graphs
• Input/Output
• Interlanguage Support
• Iterators
• Math and Numerics
• Memory
• Misc
• Parsing
• Preprocessor Metaprogramming
• String and Text Processing
• Template Metaprogramming

External links

• Boost Homepage
• Boost Libraries