As a programming enthusiast, or a veteran with a wealth of knowledge and experience programming with C++, chances are, you’re looking for a way to utilise your skills for web development.
Perhaps you want to create a quick and responsive website for increased performance so that your web page visitors can have the best experience possible.
Well, although C++ is a very unconventional approach to web development unlike traditional methods like Javascript, Python, and Ruby, it’s not impossible to create a website using only C++. So how can this be done? Let’s explore that in this article.
4 Steps to Take When Building a Dynamic Website with C++
While C++ is a programming language commonly used for application development, game development, and the like, it’s not the ideal programming language that website developers use when building websites. But can it be done? Yes, it can!
Below are four simple steps to take when using C++ for web development.
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Have a Web Framework
A web framework is basically just a set of premade codes that you can use when coding instead of starting from scratch. These codes are referred to as classes and functions and help make the process much easier.
You can think of web frameworks like a house that’s already built, now all you need to do is furnish that house, but you don’t need to start building from scratch again by laying the foundation and building up. This is what web frameworks like CppCMS and Wt (Web Toolkit) function as.
Now, whenever a visitor comes to your website, instead of trying to figure out each request from scratch, your web frameworks will do that for you, handling all the HTTP requests and giving back HTTP responses, ultimately making it easier to build a website using C++.
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Establish a Web Server
Now that you have your premade codes with your web framework, the next thing you need to do is to set up and establish a web server. There are many web servers like Nginx and Apache. The purpose of this web server is to open up your website to the public and let them have access to your website.
For instance, if your website is like a shop, the web server is the door that people need to get through in order to access that shop, which is your website. However, you need to set up your door in a way that suits your shop. It needs to understand what your shop is about and what it offers.
So, assuming the web server is the door and your shop is your C++ website, it’s important to configure your C++ website to the web server so that it understands that your website works a little differently. This way when people visit your website, they can enjoy a smooth experience and have access to whatever special features you may have included.
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Write the Code:
What you want to do next is to write the code for your web pages using the web frameworks to tell your website what it should do and how it should behave when certain actions are performed.
These codes should handle things like routing requests which basically tell your website how to respond to the actions of your web page visitors. For instance, if you have a contact icon on your page, when users click on it, it should take them to your contact page. Or if there’s a product icon, it should take them to your product’s pace.
Your code should also cover things like processing form submissions. This would tell your website what to do when someone fills out a form or clicks on a search icon. You may want it to save the user’s information or take the user to another page.
You also want your code to cover access to the database if you want it to store details like product details or user profiles. This code would talk to your website and tell it how best to save information.
Basically, your code would ultimately determine how your user would experience your website. This is why it may be essential to enlist help from website developers who know how to create custom website development suited to your website.
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Compile, Execute, and Run
Next, you need to compile your code so that everything you have written down and all the instructions you have given and are understandable to you, can also be understood by your computer.
This is where using a compiler comes in. It would essentially translate your code from one language to another so all the parties involved can understand.
Once you have successfully translated your code, it then becomes an executable file and is now in a form where it can be run on a computer. Now if you want your website to be available to the public, all you need to do is upload your executable file on your web server and then run it.
This way it can follow the instructions you have outlined for it in the code, now you have successfully turned your human code into a language that the computer can understand so that it can serve visitors properly when activated on your web server. Congratulations! You now have yourself a C++ dynamic website at your disposal.
Conclusion
Building a C++ website is a rather unconventional approach, but that is not to say that it’s impossible. Following the steps outlined above, even a newbie can essentially set up a C++ website. However, there are many things that go into the process of building a website beyond just writing codes.
If you want to build your website, making it fast, easy to navigate, and incredibly responsive while still keeping a professional quality, then you need to enlist the help of expert website developers who understand the game and can help you set up your website in no time.
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