Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Boost (C++ libraries)
open-in-new
<h2 id="design">Design</h2> <p>The libraries are aimed at a wide range of C++ users and application domains. They range from general-purpose libraries like the <a href="/facts/Smart_pointer/XuxYXAKn">smart pointer</a> library, to <a href="/facts/Operating_system/8XTuvMh2">operating system</a> abstractions like <i>Boost FileSystem</i>, to libraries primarily aimed at other library developers and advanced C++ users, like the <a href="/facts/Template_metaprogramming/yybwJ7AN">template metaprogramming</a> (MPL) and <a href="/facts/Domain-specific_language/n18H1foD">domain-specific language</a> (DSL) creation (Proto). </p><p>In order to ensure efficiency and flexibility, Boost makes extensive use of <a href="/facts/Template_(C%252B%252B)/TXEqGy7R">templates</a>. Boost has been a source of extensive work and research into <a href="/facts/Generic_programming/kqtqJk7p">generic programming</a> and <a href="/facts/Metaprogramming/ujbjjJTY">metaprogramming</a> in C++.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> </p><p>Most Boost libraries are <a href="/facts/Header_file/fg3KEG4V">header</a> based, consisting of <a href="/facts/Inline_function/foqU4fpQ">inline functions</a> and templates, and as such do not need to be built in advance of their use. Some Boost libraries coexist as independent libraries.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="associated-people">Associated people</h2> <p>The original founders of Boost that are still active in the community includes <a href="/facts/David_Abrahams_(computer_programmer)/qR3Sp0Bv">David Abrahams</a>. An author of several books on C++, Nicolai Josuttis, contributed to the Boost <a href="/facts/Array_(C%252B%252B)/ojqI7MNN">array</a> library in 2001. There are mailing lists devoted to Boost library use and library development, active as of 2023.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="license">License</h2> <p>Boost is licensed under its own <a href="/facts/Free_software/IaoVtJXn">free</a>, <a href="/facts/Open-source_license/FlFTwHmd">open-source license</a>, known as the Boost Software License.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> It is a permissive license in the style of the <a href="/facts/BSD_license/XLtmLp5x">BSD license</a> and the <a href="/facts/MIT_license/8llAQtlk">MIT license</a>, but without requiring <a href="/facts/Attribution_(copyright)/7jjwBghn">attribution</a> for redistribution in <a href="/facts/Binary_file/ysttM8hh">binary form</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> The license has been <a href="/facts/Open_Source_Initiative/sJtjc2EF">OSI-approved</a> since February 2008<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> and is considered a <a href="/facts/Free_software_license/BACv1rju">free software license</a>, <a href="/facts/License_compatibility/sMCXI8sI">compatible</a> with the <a href="/facts/GNU_General_Public_License/S75KhLSX">GNU General Public License</a>, by the <a href="/facts/Free_Software_Foundation/k0sBmw7y">Free Software Foundation</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li>Free and open-source software portal</li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Apache_Portable_Runtime/3wyRWMGo">Apache Portable Runtime</a> – used by the <a href="/facts/Apache_HTTP_Server/tcmWYYUq">Apache HTTP Server</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/GLib/s3a6avhy">GLib</a> – the equivalent upon which <a href="/facts/GNOME/EFMNBmpR">GNOME</a> is built</li> <li><a href="/facts/KDE_Frameworks/fuAzewMT">KDE Frameworks</a> – the equivalent upon which <a href="/facts/KDE_Software_Compilation/m2RkR89F">KDE Software Compilation</a> is built</li> <li><a href="/facts/List_of_C%252B%252B_template_libraries/EIlp5QLm">List of C++ template libraries</a></li> <li>Software using the Boost license (category)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Standard_Template_Library/IxqpRzWU">Standard Template Library</a></li></ul> <h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2> <ul><li>Demming, Robert & Duffy, Daniel J. (2010). <i>Introduction to the Boost C++ Libraries</i>. Vol. 1 - Foundations. Datasim. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-94-91028-01-4.</li> <li>Demming, Robert & Duffy, Daniel J. (2012). <i>Introduction to the Boost C++ Libraries</i>. Vol. 2 - Advanced Libraries. Datasim. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-94-91028-02-1.</li> <li>Mukherjee, Arindam (2015). <i>Learning Boost C++ Libraries</i>. Packt. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-78355-121-7.</li> <li>Polukhin, Antony (2013). <i>Boost C++ Application Development Cookbook</i>. Packt. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-84951-488-0.</li> <li>Polukhin, Antony (2017). <i>Boost C++ Application Development Cookbook</i> (2 ed.). Packt. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-78728-224-7.</li> <li>Schäling, Boris (2011). <i>The Boost C++ Libraries</i>. XML Press. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-0-9822191-9-5.</li> <li>Schäling, Boris (2014). <i>The Boost C++ Libraries</i> (2 ed.). XML Press. p. 570. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-937434-36-6.</li> <li>Siek, Jeremy G.; Lee, Lie-Quan & Lumsdaine, Andrew (2001). <i>The Boost Graph Library: User Guide and Reference Manual</i>. Addison-Wesley. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-0-201-72914-6.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> The Wikibook <i>C++ Programming</i> has a page on the topic of: <i>Libraries/Boost</i> <ul><li><a href="https://www.boost.org/">Official website</a> </li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"List of Boost libraries". <a href="https://www.boost.org/doc/libs/?view=condensed" target="_blank">https://www.boost.org/doc/libs/?view=condensed</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Boost Software License". www.boost.org. Retrieved 2022-01-06. <a href="https://www.boost.org/users/license.html" target="_blank">https://www.boost.org/users/license.html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"Library Technical Report". JTC1/SC22/WG21 - The C++ Standards Committee. 2 July 2003. Retrieved 1 February 2012. <a href="http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/library_technical_report.html" target="_blank">http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/library_technical_report.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"A Threading API for C++". <a href="http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2006/n2090.html" target="_blank">http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2006/n2090.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"StackOverflow.com site". <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/a/8852421/2006632" target="_blank">https://stackoverflow.com/a/8852421/2006632</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Abrahams, David; Gurtovoy, Aleksey (10 December 2004). C++ Template Metaprogramming: Concepts, Tools, and Techniques from Boost and Beyond. Pearson Education. p. 408. <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Asio web site". <a href="http://think-async.com/Asio" target="_blank">http://think-async.com/Asio</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Spirit web-site". <a href="http://boost-spirit.com/home/" target="_blank">http://boost-spirit.com/home/</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Boost Mailing Lists (A.K.A. Discussion Groups)". Retrieved 28 Apr 2020. <a href="http://www.boost.org/community/groups.html" target="_blank">http://www.boost.org/community/groups.html</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"Boost Software License - Version 1.0" (TXT). August 17, 2003. Retrieved December 22, 2023. <a href="https://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt" target="_blank">https://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Dawes, Beman. "Boost Software License". Retrieved 2016-08-01. <a href="http://www.boost.org/users/license.html" target="_blank">http://www.boost.org/users/license.html</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>"Boost mailing list archive". Archived from the original on 2016-11-07. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161107222035/http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lib.boost.devel/178539" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20161107222035/http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lib.boost.devel/178539</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>"Boost Software License 1.0 (BSL-1.0) | Open Source Initiative". 5 February 2008. <a href="http://opensource.org/licenses/BSL-1.0" target="_blank">http://opensource.org/licenses/BSL-1.0</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>"Various Licenses and Comments about Them - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)". <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#boost" target="_blank">https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#boost</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>