MSVC

Microsoft Visual C++ (MSVC) is a commercial C and C++ compiler produced by Microsoft as part of the Visual Studio development suite. It is the primary toolchain for building native Windows applications and components, including desktop software, games using DirectX, and system-level libraries. The MSVC toolset includes the cl.exe compiler, the linker, the standard libraries (CRT and STL), and tools that integrate with the Windows SDK. It also supports managed code via C++/CLI in addition to native code.

The compiler and linkers are complemented by a broad development environment in Visual Studio, along with command-line tools available via the Visual Studio Developer Command Prompt. Features include optimization options, precompiled headers, incremental builds, and debugging with PDBs. The toolchain commonly supports Profile-Guided Optimization (PGO), Link-Time Code Generation (LTCG), and SIMD intrinsics for performance.

Standards and compatibility: MSVC has historically prioritized Windows APIs and evolving C++ language features. It provides robust support for modern C++ (C++11/14/17 and ongoing support for newer standards), with C language support more limited and not fully aligned with current C11/C17/C23 expectations. It targets x86, x64, and ARM architectures, and integrates with the Windows runtime and CRT. Cross-platform considerations typically involve using Windows-specific libraries or adopting other toolchains for non-Windows platforms.

History and impact: MSVC has been a core component of Visual Studio since the 1990s and remains widely used for Windows software development, including commercial applications, games, and drivers. It is one of the leading C/C++ compilers on Windows and is known for its deep IDE integration and strong debugging capabilities.