One of the best ways to get better in any programming language is to engage yourself in some projects. It will help you to enhance your coding skills. If you are learning C++ and want to master it, developing projects is the best way to understand and learn the language. Here, we will discuss some of the best C++ projects from the beginner level to the expert level.
The only way that you can understand the actual implementation of the C++ concepts is to work on C++ projects. Another good reason to indulge yourself in projects is that you can add these projects to your resume to bag better job opportunities.
According to Payscale , the average salary of a C++ developer in the United States is $73K per annum. In India, the average annual salary of an entry-level C++ developer is INR 5.3 lakhs.
Undoubtedly, having a good and innovative project on your resume will be great. The internet is full of C++ project ideas, from basic to advanced. It is better to start with a simple project. Once you build up confidence and skill, you can work your way to more challenging projects that require more than just coding.
In this article, we discuss some C++ projects that are suitable for beginners, intermediate learners, and expert developers.
A Brief Overview of C++
C++ is one of the oldest programming languages developed by Bjarne Stroustrup. It is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language. Besides being object-oriented, it supports procedural and functional programming paradigms. It is useful for creating a variety of applications.
The following are major features of C++:
- Machine-independent
- Portable
- Object-oriented
- Compiler-based
- Case sensitive
- Dynamic memory allocation
- A rich standard library
To get started with C++ projects, it is essential to learn every fundamental concept. When you grasp a good knowledge of its syntax, object-oriented programming, and all other aspects, you can develop projects.
If you want to learn basic concepts of C++, you can check out our tutorial: C++ Tutorial .
What Can You Develop with C++?
As a beginner, you might desperately want to know what kind of applications you can develop using C++. So, here is a list of applications:
- Desktop apps
- Browsers
- Games
- Operating systems
- Embedded systems
- Compilers
- Libraries
- Cloud/Distributed systems
- Graphics apps
Let us now dive into the list of the top C++ projects one can develop and add to their resume.
Top C++ Projects for Beginners
For practicing the C++ language and honing your skills, nothing is better than working on basic projects. They will allow you to implement various C++ concepts in a simple way and understand the working mechanism behind them.
Here, we have curated a list of some basic C++ projects every beginner must try.
1. Currency Converter
In this C++ project, you will be able to create a currency converter that will convert the currency from one to another as specified.
For this, you need a dropdown for switching the currency. You need to specify the type of output currency so the conversion can be done. You can add some features like restricting the input by ensuring that the conversion can only be done on the numeric value; else, an error will be displayed stating something like “Please enter a number.” Also, you must ensure that the conversion is done as per the latest currency value.
Required Concepts: Data types, user input and output, conditional statements, loops, functions, error handling, classes, file handling, and exception handling.
Source code: Currency Converter
2. Credit Card Validator
Today, most people are using credit cards; thus, there is a requirement for a validation process that will check the validity of the credit cards before we make the actual payment. It is a better option that we create software for the purpose that will check the validity itself.
For different types of credit cards, we need to ensure different validation processes that will first check the type of the credit card and then will start the actual validation process. First, we can check if the entered credit card number is valid. If the number is invalid, the validation process will stop and display an error.
If you want to add more validation steps, you can even add a dropdown that will allow you to select the type of credit card. This project might be simple, but you need good algorithms knowledge to implement it.
Required Concepts: User input and output, conditional statements, loops, string manipulation, functions, data structures , algorithms, switch statements, and error handling.
Source code: Credit Card Validator
3. Student Management System
The student management system is one of the most basic C++ projects. Every beginner tries to implement this project using basic C++ concepts.
A student management system keeps track of each and every student within a school. You can create this project at any level of complexity and consider various users like teachers and students.
You can give students access to add and alter their details, submit their assignments, and give tests online. You can also provide access to teachers for managing each student's account in their class, checking their tests, taking classes, marking attendance, etc.
Further, you can increase the complexity by adding one more user type - parents. This enables parents to keep track of their child's records and interact with teachers directly.
Required Concepts: Object-oriented programming, data structures, file handling, user authentication and authorization, functions, data validation, and a database .
Source code: Student Management System
4. Hotel Management System
Like the student management system, it is also a type of management system. It helps hotels keep records of their reservations, bills, and guests. The hotel manager can keep track of visitors and the working staff.
Regarding the staff, the hotel management system helps the managers keep records of the staff, their leaves, shifts, and other details. This will eliminate the need to fill the registers to keep the records manually.
To increase this project's complexity, you can add functionality allowing guests to reserve the room online. Set up a notification or alert system on the user's end once the desired room or facility becomes available again. This project will prepare you for handling more complex scenarios.
Required Concepts: Object-oriented programming, user input and output, data structures, file handling, file handling, enums or const, error handling, and data validation.
Source code: Hotel Reservation System
5. Address Book
Working on this project will help you improve your data structure concepts. You need to work on some functionalities, such as adding, updating, and deleting data from the address book. The address book project will help you to store your contacts that can be altered accordingly.
You can even add a database to your project to store all the details. So, the project will be connected to the database, and the changes will reflect in the database.
Required Concepts: Algorithms, data structures, database management system , multithreading, file handling, and a graphical user interface.
Source code: Address Book
6. Login and Registration System
We all might have encountered the login and registration process while filling out any form, signing up for any application, etc. If you want to validate your knowledge of the file system and C++ file handling, consider developing a login and registration system.
This system leverages the user registration process, where the user needs to input the username and password for successful registration. This data (the username and password of a user) needs to be stored in a database.
When the same user tries to log in, the system validates the user as the existing one. If an unregistered user signs up, the system should display the error message and urge the user to register first.
Required Concepts: Data structures, string manipulation, database management system, file handling, file manipulation libraries, and user input and output.
Source Code: Login and Registration System
7. Bank Management System
A bank management system helps simplify various bank processes, such as account creation, showing account balances, transfers, deposits, withdrawals, and search and exit activities.
Use C++ classes and objects to create each service for your bank management system. This project requires you to implement your knowledge of file handling, object-oriented programming, and database interaction.
Besides, the project needs you to take care of the security measures to protect sensitive customer data. A clean and neat user interface is also a must.
Required Concepts: Object-oriented programming, file handling, error handling, data validation, user input and output, database management system, date and time handling, security practices, and user interface design.
Source Code: Bank Management System
You can create as many management systems as you want to have a good practical grasp of C++ concepts. Some other management system project ideas include:
- Bookshop Management System
- Car Rental System
- Medical Information System
- Stock Management System
- Hospital Management System
- Library Management System
- Traffic Management System
Top C++ Projects for Intermediate Learners
The above C++ projects will help implement basic C++ concepts, as these concepts are useful in every C++ application you develop. This section discusses C++ projects with a little bit of complexity, such as using a graphics library or audio library or creating a complex user interface.
8. Digital Calculator
This is one of the easiest C++ projects that anyone can create and is mostly preferred. You can create a digital calculator that is GUI-driven. In this project, the user needs to provide input from the menu, and the processing will be done based on the logic and the data types in C++ .
You need to ensure a validation allowing the user to enter only numerical values to perform various operations like addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication.
You can further increase the complexity of the calculator by adding functionality for scientific operations, such as trigonometric and logarithmic functions.
Required Concepts: User input and output, data types and variables, arithmetic operations, conditional statements, loops, functions, data validation, switch statements, and string manipulation.
Source code: Digital Calculator
9. Tic-Tac-Toe Game
The Tic-Tac-Toe game is a two-player game with a 3*3 board. Each player has a turn to place Xs or Os on the board. One player chooses X and the other O and aims to place Xs and Os in a row either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The one who places their respective element in a row wins the game. If no player is able to do so, the game draws.
You can use two-dimensional arrays to create the 3*3 board. Each player will have the turn to place the element on the board. This is generally considered a move. The moves switch between players.
Required Concepts: User input and output, 2D arrays, conditional statements, loops, functions, nested loops, and enums or constants.
Source code: Tic-Tac-Toe Game
10. Stopwatch
Another simple GUI-based application you can create using C++ is a stopwatch, as it does not have many functionalities to implement. This project will help you to enhance your concepts of the C++ graphics library. You can create the class of the graphics library to manipulate the time, or you can even use the predefined classes that come with the C++ language.
The time must be counted down using the simple periodic function that executes every second. You can work on the GUI that will make your project more appealing. For this, you can work on HTML and CSS .
Required Concepts: A GUI library, like Qt, event handling, classes & objects, user interface design using HTML and CSS, error handling, and state management.
Source code: Stopwatch
11. Digital Piano
If you want to be creative with your C++ knowledge, you can work on the digital piano project. It demands knowledge of advanced C++ concepts.
Digital piano is a GUI-based project where you must click on the keys to make the sound.
You need to implement the asynchronous function that will deal with the various audio libraries and will take some time to work. It will help you in assessing your understanding of multithreading in C++ .
To increase the complexity level, you can add more functionality, such as recording the tunes played on the piano and deleting the tune if it does not seem melodious. This will help you improve your knowledge of audio functions and how to implement them.
Required Concepts: GUI libraries, audio libraries, multithreading, event handling, file handling, concurrency and synchronization, memory management, recording and playback, and exception handling.
Source code: Digital Piano
12. Sudoku Game
Sudoku game is a popular game played among children and youngsters. It is available mostly on every desktop and laptop. It is a combinatorial number-placement puzzle that requires logic and thinking.
The game consists of the 9*9 grid divided into 9 blocks, each of the 3* 3 subgrid. Each column, row, and subgrid must have unique numbers from 0 to 9 without any repetition.
To create this game, you must understand the backtracking algorithm and the logic used to play the game.
Required Concepts: Arrays and 2D arrays, control structures, data structures, pointers and references, random number generation, memory management, and user input and output.
Source Code: Sudoku Game
C++ Projects for Experts
Let us now increase the complexity of C++ projects and have a glance at project ideas that you can develop as an experienced C++ developer.
13. Search Engine
If you want to work on complex C++ projects, creating a search engine will help you to achieve that. For this project, you need to do some extensive research. You can use one or more C++ frameworks for this C++ project, but you need to understand the same before proceeding with the project.
Also, you need to work with networking to help you understand how to extract the data from the internet and then display it.
Required Concepts: A clean user interface using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, object-oriented programming, error handling, web crawling, data storage and indexing, tokenization, and text processing.
Source Code: Search Engine
14. Password Manager
A password manager is an application that securely stores and manages all your passwords. The primary purpose of this app is to ensure the security of the stored passwords. Hence, it encrypts and stores credentials. When a user tries to access any password stored in the application, they must enter the application password first.
Required Concepts: Data structures, algorithms, encryption and decryption, security, database to store passwords, and a GUI library.
Source Code: Password Manager
15. Web Browser
People in this digital age use a web browser to access the required information, shop online, etc. You can develop a web browser using C++, offering users a safe and secure search experience.
The primary element of this project is a clean easy-to-navigate user interface with well-defined buttons, labels, and a search field. You will learn about networking to establish connections with the web server. In addition, having a good graph of HTTP requests and responses, APIs, and libraries is a must.
With this project, you will learn and implement many advanced C++ concepts.
Required Concepts: A graphics library or framework, like Qt Creator, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, REST API, networking, and WebGL.
Source Code: Web Browser
Conclusion
C++ is one of the most widely adopted programming languages in today’s world. However some beginners might feel it is complex, but once they understand its concepts, it becomes a powerful tool at your disposal.
One of the best ways to understand the underlying concepts of the popular programming language is to work on C++ projects that will help you develop practical language experience. These projects will help you to showcase your skills in job interviews.
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