Suppose you are an intermediate-level developer who has already built a few web and mobile applications using high-level languages such as Ruby, Python, or JavaScript. In that case, you might want to learn C++ as your next language.
For one, you can now build better applications if you understand the inner workings of compilers and how programming languages can create magic. C++ gives you more intimacy with programming. It’s now like moving on from knowing how to marinate chicken and frying it into understanding how the marinade is formulated.
Benefits of C++
C++ is considered one of the most scalable programming languages. As such, it’s one of the languages of choice when building memory-heavy applications such as games and desktop software. As you develop resource-hungry apps with it, you can manage how memory is utilized with each feature. This makes your code versatile.
While C++ is considered an object-oriented language, it’s flexible in terms of whatever programming technique you wish to use.
The only drawback of C++ is that since it’s relatively low-level, it may not be the best to learn if you’re a beginner. Though other schools of thought claim that it’s an excellent first language, it takes you deep into the fundamentals of programming.
How do you secure your C++ codebase?
Like all others, applications coded in C++ have vulnerabilities that malicious players can exploit. C++’s close contact with a machine’s memory makes such vulnerabilities as it gives hackers a wider door to the system.
While there are several practical steps to write secure code in C++ human effort can only go so far. It’s beneficial to use tools proven not only in monitoring bugs and errors but also in helping you catch vulnerabilities early on.
Here is a list of highly recommended C++ developers’ tools to ensure secure and bug-free code.
Top Code Security Tools For C++
The five tools listed below are mostly static code analyzers. Both SCA (Static Code Analysis) and SAST (Static Application Security Testing) are done without executing the application. The analysis is mainly done by digging deep into the code base and sifting every line for bugs, errors, or security vulnerabilities.
Klocwork
Klockwork is a SAST tool for programming languages such as C, C++, C#, and Java. Created by Perforce, this tool is an award-winning code analyzer. While helping developers write bug and error-free code, it also ensures security vulnerabilities are in check.
Key Features
- It digs deep into the codebase to find bugs and security vulnerabilities as it uses SAST.
- Klocwork readily integrates with any other DevOps tools. It has a differential analysis system that makes analysis faster by only looking into files that change.
- Its Klocwork Portal dashboard is very user-friendly and can be customized to provide relevant data to specific personnel roles.
- Developers can quickly get their feet wet because it is a zero-configuration tool.
With Klocwork, a company can save a lot of resources in fixing problems and ensuring compliance with security policies.
Veracode
Veracode has a patented “breakthrough” automated static binary analysis. This technology scans binary code (or the lowest level, compiled code) instead of the source code. It then provides a more in-depth and more accurate analysis.
Key features
- Without the need for source code, you can analyze packages you use based on their compiled version.
- It creates a behavioral model that allows you to detect where your code is vulnerable from a hacker’s perspective. This gives you more insight into how to fix such vulnerabilities.
Coverity Scan
Coverity Scan is a static code analyzer for C, C++, C#, JavaScript, Python, and other high-level languages. It’s an open-source tool that is touted to provide highly accurate and fast analysis.
Key Features
- With its cross-product reporting tool, you can better analyze a project’s security risk profile.
- It offers you the flexibility of performing tests for projects both on-site or through the cloud.
- You can quickly see any problem with your code as it provides a high-fidelity incremental analysis.
- Collaboration in solving security issues is a breeze as it allows for detailed relevant information for every defect.
Indeed this is one of the most versatile tools in this list as it supports over 70 frameworks from all the programming languages mentioned previously.
Clang Static Analyzer
The Clang Static Analyzer is a tool specifically made for C, C++, and Objective-C code bases. You can use it mainly from the terminal, or if you’re using macOS, you can run it through XCode.
Key features
- Through its Scan Build tool, you can view warnings as plain HTML files during compilation. It provides you with quick access to results while collaborating with others.
- Its Code Checker web server allows you to manage a vast quantity of warnings and issues and will enable you to run an incremental analysis.
- As it’s a C++ library, you can readily integrate this with other tools you are already using.
CppDepend
CppDepend is a paid tool (different pricing tiers) that can provide you with various metrics. Some of the metrics are very fun to know, such as how many decision points are in a function, etc.
Key features
- You can query your code through LINQ, which provides comprehensive information about errors, linter suggestions, etc.
- It helps engineers write readable and highly maintainable code by enforcing a wide variety of coding standards.
- As responsible coders, we must minimize technical debt. CppDepend helps us with this through features such as Smart Technical-Debt Estimation, Quality Since Baseline: Recent, and Debt Exploration.
- You can explore the entire code base’s architecture to manage each of the application elements very well, including dependencies.
- It has a very comprehensive issues-management feature that allows you to filter through thousands of possible issues seamlessly and helps you to prioritize.
In Closing
These five tools certainly can help ensure your codebase is secure and bug-free (or at the very least has a minimum number of bugs). The great thing about them is that most of them are open source and can easily be installed into your project. Thus, you can experiment on which one can provide you with the most benefits depending on your particular project’s goals.
