What is the best IDE of C++ on Linux?

While developing softwares, the big projects become difficult to manage on mere text editors. So using an IDE makes it more smoother and productive.

In this article we will discuss the popular IDE's for working with C++ programs on a Linux environment. We will compare the features of various IDEs and help you choose the best one for your needs.

Best IDE's for C++ Programming

Here is the list of best IDE's for C++ programming in Linux.

• Visual Studio Code (VS Code)
• Code::Blocks
• Eclipse CDT(C/C++ Development Tooling)
• Netbeans for C/C++ Development
• CLion
• CodeLite

Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

VS Code is a source-code editor which you can turn it into a full-fledged IDE for C/C++ by installing a few plugins (or extensions). It is developed by Microsoft and is fully free, open source and also backed by a huge community around it. It is widely used and considered as one of the best tools for C/C++ development or many other programming languages.

Features

The key features of VS Code are:

• VS Code have built-in intelliSense support for C/C++ programming, which provides smart code completion and navigation.
• Compared to other IDEs VSCode is lightweight and fast
• Comes with integrated debugger
• Built-in git support for version control
• Have support for syntax highlighting and code formatting
• Multiple platform support (supports in Windows, Linux, macOS)
  

Code::Blocks

Code::Blocks is also one of the most popular IDE used for C++ development, it is free, open-source, highly extensible (means can add new features and functionality using plugins) and configurable (can customize behavior and appearance) and supports multiple platforms such as linux, windows, macOS etc.

Features

The key features of Code:::Blocks are:

• Code:blocks supports multiple compilers such as GCC, clang, Borland C++ 5.5, digital mars, Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0, and many more.
• Code::Blocks supports syntax highlighting and code folding
• Multi-target projects (supports building and managing multiple projects in a single workspace)
• Built-in debugger with support for breakpoints, watchpoints, and call stack inspection

Eclipse CDT(C/C++ Development Tooling)

Eclipse CDT is also a widely used IDE, which is a free, open-source and popular multi-platform IDE for C/C++ and many other programming languages. It is also fully extensible using community developed plugins.

Features

The key features of Eclipse CDT are:

• Code editor with support for syntax highlighting
• Support for folding and hyperlink navigation
• Source code refactoring plus code generation
• Tools for visual debugging such as memory, registers etc.
  

Netbeans for C/C++ Development

The Netbeans IDE is also a free, open-source, which is maintained by the Apache Foundation. Though it is mostly used for java development, it is also considered good for C/C++ programming by adding a few plugins in it.

Features

The key features of Netbeans are:

• Support for automatic packaging of compiled application into .tar, .zip and many more archive files.
• Support for multiple compilers such as GNU, Clang/LLVM, Cygwin, Oracle Solaris Studio and MinGW.
• Support for remote development.

CLion

CLion is an IDE, developed by JetBrains, which is especially designed for C and C++ development, this provides modern IntelliSense (smart code navigation and completion) and supports multiple platforms such as Linux, Windows, and macOS.

Features

The key features of CLion are:

• CLion have excellent intelliSense and Smart Code Assistance
• Powerful debugger and CMake support
• Integrated Git and terminal 
  

CodeLite

CodeLite is also a free and open-source IDE designed and built mainly for C/C++, JavaScript (Node.js) and PHP programming. It is a great alternative for heavier IDEs like Eclipse or NetBeans for C++ development but have limited plugins and manual configuration required.

Features

The key features of CodeLite are:

• CodeLite have built-in support for CMake, Autotools, and Makefile projects
• Code navigation
• Remote development using built-in SFTP
• Source control plugins