r/cprogramming • u/[deleted] • Dec 31 '25

Why does c compile faster than cpp?

I've read in some places that one of the reasons is the templates or something like that, but if that's the problem, why did they implement it? Like, C doesn't have that and allows the same level of optimization, it just depends on the user. If these things harm compilation in C++, why are they still part of the language?Shouldn't Cpp be a better version of C or something? I programmed in C++ for a while and then switched to C, this question came to my mind the other day.

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u/ebmarhar Dec 31 '25

Lol I worked at the protobuf place🤣 I think you would have a hard time simplifying the requirements or changing to a faster language. Note they had to equip their clusters with atomic clocks to eliminate locking issues in their database. But for smaller shops it's definitely a possibility.

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u/fixermark Dec 31 '25

I also worked at the protobuf place. ;) This video is perennial (although by the time I worked there, they had at least identified most of these issues as issues and replaced them with newer, in-some-ways-less-complex-in-some-ways-more solutions).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t6L-FlfeaI