Learn C with Real Code Examples

C is widely used for operating systems, embedded systems, and high-performance applications.

It provides fine-grained control over memory through pointers and manual allocation.

Supports structured programming with functions, loops, and conditional statements.

Offers a minimal runtime environment, making it lightweight and fast.

Forms the basis for many modern languages like C++, C#, and Objective-C.

Data types: int, char, float, double, arrays, structs, unions

Control structures: if, switch, for, while, do-while

Functions and modular programming

Pointers and dynamic memory management (malloc/free)

Preprocessor directives (#include, #define, #ifdef)

Variables and data types - store and manipulate data

Operators - arithmetic, logical, bitwise, assignment

Control flow - loops and conditional statements

Functions - modular reusable code

Pointers - memory addresses and dynamic allocation

src/ - C source code files

include/ - header files (.h)

Makefile or build scripts - compilation instructions

bin/ - compiled binaries

lib/ - external libraries

Write source code in `.c` files

Include necessary headers and libraries

Compile using a C compiler

Debug compile-time and runtime errors

Execute the program and test functionality

Beginner: write a simple 'Hello World' program

Intermediate: implement data structures (linked lists, stacks)

Advanced: develop system utilities or embedded programs

Expert: write device drivers, kernel modules, or compiler components

Enterprise: maintain large C codebases in OS or real-time systems

C vs C++: C procedural, C++ object-oriented with OOP features

C vs Java: C compiled, low-level; Java runs on JVM with garbage collection

C vs Python: C high-performance, manual memory; Python interpreted, slower but higher-level

C vs Rust: C manual memory management; Rust provides safety and ownership

C vs Go: C low-level and fast; Go offers concurrency and garbage collection

1972 - C created by Dennis Ritchie

1978 - K&R C standard published

1989 - ANSI C standard (C89) formalized

1999 - C99 standard introduced new features (inline, long long, etc.)

2018 - C18 latest standard with minor updates

Pointer - variable storing memory address

Struct - composite data type

Array - contiguous memory storage of elements

Function - reusable code block

Preprocessor - handles macros and includes before compilation