In C++, classes and structs are very similar - the only technical difference is that class members are private by default, while struct members are public by default. However, the convention is to use them in slightly different scenarios:
Use structs when you have a simple data type that:
- Mainly consists of public data members
- Has few (if any) member functions
- Doesn't need access control or inheritance
Examples include things like 2D/3D vectors, points, or color values.
Use classes for more complex types that:
- Require access control (public/protected/private)
- Have many member functions
- Use inheritance
- Need to maintain invariants or validate data
Examples include things like a Player class in a game, or a Database class.
So in summary, prefer structs for simple "Plain Old Data" (POD) types, and classes for more complex types that resemble real-world objects with behaviors.
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Classes, Structs and Enums
A crash tour on how we can create custom types in C++ using classes, structs and enums
