📖 Documentation: https://gauravagarwalgarg.github.io/modern-cpp-playground/
📦 Repository: GitHub
Production-quality Modern C++ learning & interview preparation repository for HFT, HPC, GPU, Systems, Networking, OS, Embedded, and Low-Latency engineering roles.
Starting fresh with C++? See the Learning Path below and the C++ Standards Evolution doc.
Preparing for interviews? Every file is self-contained, compilable, and annotated with interview relevance and day-to-day usage context.
Candidates preparing for:
- C++ Software Engineer roles at FAANG, trading firms, GPU companies
- Low-Latency / HFT roles (Citadel, Jump, Two Sigma, Jane Street, Optiver)
- High-Performance Computing roles (HPC clusters, scientific computing)
- GPU / Infrastructure roles (NVIDIA, AMD, graphics engines)
- Systems / Networking roles (kernel, drivers, protocols)
- Embedded C++ roles (automotive, IoT, RTOS)
- OS and Concurrency roles (scheduler, lock-free, memory model)
AModernCppPlayground/
├── CMakeLists.txt # Root CMake build (auto-discovers all src/*.cpp)
│
├── src/
│ ├── modern_cpp/ # C++11/14/17/20 language features
│ │ ├── move_semantics.cpp
│ │ ├── smart_pointers.cpp
│ │ ├── templates_sfinae.cpp
│ │ ├── concepts.cpp
│ │ ├── constexpr_consteval.cpp
│ │ ├── lambdas.cpp
│ │ ├── raii.cpp
│ │ ├── rule_of_five.cpp
│ │ ├── optional_variant_any.cpp
│ │ ├── structured_bindings.cpp
│ │ ├── ranges.cpp
│ │ ├── crtp.cpp
│ │ ├── perfect_forwarding.cpp
│ │ ├── custom_allocator.cpp
│ │ ├── copy_elision.cpp
│ │ ├── noexcept.cpp
│ │ └── practical/ # Day-to-day modern C++ patterns
│ │ ├── value_semantics.cpp # Regular types, spaceship operator
│ │ ├── compile_time_programming.cpp # constexpr, consteval, if constexpr
│ │ ├── raii_patterns.cpp # ScopeGuard, TimerGuard, C API wrappers
│ │ ├── error_handling.cpp # Result<T,E>, monadic chaining, optional
│ │ └── type_traits_concepts.cpp # Custom concepts, constrained templates
│ │
│ ├── patterns/ # Design Patterns
│ │ ├── singleton.cpp # GoF: Meyer's singleton
│ │ ├── factory.cpp # GoF: Factory method
│ │ ├── abstract_factory.cpp # GoF: Abstract factory
│ │ ├── builder.cpp # GoF: Builder
│ │ ├── observer.cpp # GoF: Classic observer
│ │ ├── strategy.cpp # GoF: Strategy
│ │ ├── command.cpp # GoF: Command
│ │ ├── decorator.cpp # GoF: Decorator
│ │ ├── adapter.cpp # GoF: Adapter
│ │ ├── facade.cpp # GoF: Facade
│ │ ├── template_method.cpp # GoF: Template Method
│ │ ├── state.cpp # GoF: State
│ │ ├── visitor.cpp # GoF: Visitor
│ │ ├── chain_of_responsibility.cpp
│ │ ├── proxy.cpp # GoF: Caching/Logging proxy
│ │ ├── composite.cpp # GoF: File system tree
│ │ ├── flyweight.cpp # GoF: Shared state optimization
│ │ ├── memento.cpp # GoF: Undo/Redo history
│ │ ├── iterator.cpp # GoF: Custom ring buffer iterator
│ │ ├── mediator.cpp # GoF: Event bus
│ │ └── software_design/ # ★ Modern C++ Design Patterns
│ │ ├── type_erasure.cpp # The core pattern of modern C++
│ │ ├── external_polymorphism.cpp # Polymorphism without modifying types
│ │ ├── value_based_strategy.cpp # std::function strategy injection
│ │ ├── pimpl_idiom.cpp # Bridge/Pimpl for ABI stability
│ │ ├── strong_types.cpp # CRTP mixin for type safety
│ │ ├── small_buffer_optimization.cpp # SBO type erasure (no heap)
│ │ ├── prototype_pattern.cpp # Virtual clone() for deep copy
│ │ ├── modern_observer.cpp # Signal/slot with RAII connections
│ │ ├── compile_time_decorator.cpp# Zero-overhead template decoration
│ │ └── runtime_decorator.cpp # Type-erased composable decorators
│ │
│ ├── concurrency/ # Threading, atomics, lock-free
│ │ ├── threads_basics.cpp
│ │ ├── mutex_condvar.cpp
│ │ ├── atomics.cpp
│ │ ├── memory_model.cpp
│ │ ├── lock_free_queue.cpp
│ │ ├── thread_pool.cpp
│ │ └── producer_consumer.cpp
│ │
│ ├── solid/ # SOLID principles with code
│ │ └── solid_principles.cpp
│ │
│ ├── systems/ # Industry domain code
│ │ ├── hft/ # HFT / Low-latency
│ │ │ ├── order_book.cpp
│ │ │ ├── market_data_handler.cpp
│ │ │ └── matching_engine.cpp
│ │ ├── networking/ # Sockets, protocols
│ │ │ ├── tcp_server.cpp
│ │ │ └── epoll_server.cpp
│ │ ├── linux/ # Linux programming
│ │ │ ├── signal_handling.cpp
│ │ │ └── mmap_shared_memory.cpp
│ │ ├── os/ # OS concepts
│ │ │ ├── virtual_memory.cpp
│ │ │ └── scheduler_sim.cpp
│ │ ├── embedded/ # Embedded C++
│ │ │ └── state_machine.cpp
│ │ └── hpc_gpu/ # HPC / GPU ecosystem
│ │ └── simd_vectorization.cpp
│ │
│ ├── dsa/ # DSA patterns in C++
│ │ ├── two_pointers.cpp
│ │ ├── sliding_window.cpp
│ │ ├── binary_search_on_answer.cpp
│ │ ├── monotonic_stack.cpp
│ │ ├── union_find.cpp
│ │ ├── trie.cpp
│ │ ├── segment_tree.cpp
│ │ ├── topological_sort.cpp
│ │ ├── bit_manipulation.cpp
│ │ ├── dijkstra.cpp # Graph: shortest path
│ │ ├── kmp_string_matching.cpp # Strings: pattern matching
│ │ ├── backtracking_nqueens.cpp # Backtracking with pruning
│ │ ├── knapsack_01.cpp # DP: 0/1 knapsack
│ │ ├── longest_common_subsequence.cpp # DP: classic 2D
│ │ └── merge_sort.cpp # Divide & conquer sort
│ │
│ └── stl_like/ # Custom STL implementations
│ ├── doubly_linked_list.cpp
│ ├── hash_map.cpp
│ ├── lru_cache.cpp
│ ├── memory_pool.cpp
│ └── thread_safe_queue.cpp
│
├── docs/ # Documentation
│ ├── cpp-standards-evolution.md # ★ C++98 → C++03 → C++11 → C++14 → C++17 → C++20 → C++23 → C++26
│ ├── software-design-patterns.md # ★ Modern C++ design patterns (Iglberger)
│ ├── modern-cpp.md # Quick reference: features & interview frequency
│ ├── design-patterns.md # GoF patterns in C++
│ ├── solid-principles.md
│ ├── hft-low-latency.md
│ ├── networking.md
│ ├── linux-programming.md
│ ├── hpc-gpu.md
│ ├── os-internals.md
│ ├── embedded-cpp.md
│ ├── dsa-patterns.md
│ ├── concurrency.md
│ └── interview-roadmap.md
│
├── tests/ # Test programs
├── benchmarks/ # Performance benchmarks
└── scripts/ # Build helpers
mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
make -j$(nproc)
# Run any example (executable name = path with / replaced by _)
./bin/modern_cpp_move_semantics
./bin/modern_cpp_practical_value_semantics
./bin/patterns_software_design_type_erasure
./bin/systems_hft_order_book
./bin/dsa_monotonic_stack
./bin/stl_like_lru_cache| Area | Files | Interview Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Modern C++ Features | 16 + 5 practical | ★★★★★ |
| Software Design Patterns (NEW) | 10 | ★★★★★ |
| Concurrency & Lock-Free | 7 | ★★★★★ |
| GoF Design Patterns | 20 | ★★★★☆ |
| SOLID Principles | 1 | ★★★★☆ |
| HFT / Low-Latency | 3 | ★★★★★ |
| Networking | 2 | ★★★★☆ |
| Linux Programming | 2 | ★★★☆☆ |
| OS Internals | 2 | ★★★☆☆ |
| Embedded | 1 | ★★★☆☆ |
| HPC / GPU | 1 | ★★★☆☆ |
| DSA Patterns | 15 | ★★★★★ |
| Custom STL | 5 | ★★★★★ |
Start here if you're new to C++ or coming from another language:
📖 Read: docs/cpp-standards-evolution.md (understand the timeline)
↓
1️⃣ src/modern_cpp/raii.cpp ← Foundation of C++ design
2️⃣ src/modern_cpp/smart_pointers.cpp ← Memory management
3️⃣ src/modern_cpp/move_semantics.cpp ← Efficiency
4️⃣ src/modern_cpp/lambdas.cpp ← Modern style
5️⃣ src/modern_cpp/practical/value_semantics.cpp ← How to think in C++
↓
📖 Read: docs/modern-cpp.md (feature reference)
↓
6️⃣ src/modern_cpp/templates_sfinae.cpp ← Generic programming
7️⃣ src/modern_cpp/concepts.cpp ← Modern constraints
8️⃣ src/modern_cpp/practical/compile_time_programming.cpp
9️⃣ src/modern_cpp/practical/error_handling.cpp
🔟 src/modern_cpp/practical/type_traits_concepts.cpp
↓
📖 Read: docs/software-design-patterns.md
↓
1️⃣1️⃣ src/patterns/software_design/type_erasure.cpp ← THE pattern
1️⃣2️⃣ src/patterns/software_design/external_polymorphism.cpp
1️⃣3️⃣ src/patterns/software_design/pimpl_idiom.cpp
1️⃣4️⃣ src/patterns/software_design/strong_types.cpp
Focus on what interviewers actually ask:
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Move semantics | Type erasure | Lock-free queue |
| Smart pointers | SBO optimization | Thread pool |
| Perfect forwarding | Pimpl idiom | Memory model |
| Rule of Five | Strong types | Atomics |
| RAII patterns | External polymorphism | HFT systems |
Critical Path:
move_semantics → custom_allocator → memory_pool →
small_buffer_optimization → lock_free_queue →
order_book → matching_engine → simd_vectorization
- C++20 (builds with GCC 12+, Clang 14+, MSVC 19.30+)
- Every file is self-contained with
main()+ assertions - Comments explain why, not just what
- Each file header states: topic, interview relevance, day-to-day application
- Complexity annotations on all functions
- No raw
new/deleteunless demonstrating RAII contrast - Adapted code from external sources is attributed and re-styled for consistency
The following repos were used as source material and adapted to fit this repository's structure and style:
| Repo | What we took | Where it lives now |
|---|---|---|
cpp_software_design (Iglberger) |
Type erasure, external polymorphism, SBO, strong types | src/patterns/software_design/ |
design-patterns-cpp |
GoF pattern structure verification | src/patterns/ |
C-Plus-Plus (algorithms) |
DSA reference implementations | src/dsa/, src/stl_like/ |
cp-algorithms-aux |
Competitive programming algorithms | Reference only |
MIT