Before You start - Embedded C++
Why EWskills:
Since there are plenty of C++ tutorials and platforms (from Codecademy to competitive programming sites), you might wonder why practice Embedded C++ on EWskills?
The Answer is simple: Modern Firmware is not Desktop C++.
Learning C++ for a PC involves std::vector, std::string, dynamic memory (new/delete), and Exceptions—features that can be disastrous in a microcontroller environment.
When you’re working in Embedded C++, you must write object-oriented code that is zero-overhead, deterministic, and memory-safe. You need to build abstractions that clean up your code without slowing down your processor or fragmenting your tiny RAM.
What Makes Embedded C++ Different?
As an Embedded C++ developer, you face a unique set of constraints that desktop application developers never see:
- No Heap Allocation — Avoiding
malloc,new, andstd::vectorto prevent memory fragmentation and non-deterministic timing. - Zero-Cost Abstractions — Using classes and templates to make code readable without adding CPU instructions compared to raw C.
- Hardware Access — Mapping C++ objects directly to memory-mapped registers.
- Compile-Time Computation — Using
constexprand Templates to calculate values during compilation, saving runtime CPU cycles. - Deterministic Resource Management — Using RAII (Resource Acquisition Is Initialization) to manage locks, power states, and interrupts automatically.
- Limited Standard Library — Often working without the full STL, requiring you to implement your own fixed-size buffers and containers.
EWskills is the platform designed to teach you "Safe C++" for hardware. All problems are Firmware-focused—Practice static object pools, driver encapsulation, hardware interfaces (HALs), lambda callbacks, and compile-time logic.
Before Practice
To get the most out of EWskills practice, you don’t need to be a C++ expert, but you should have:
- Solid C foundation: Pointers, bits, and memory.
- Basic OOP awareness: Concepts of Classes, Objects, and Methods.
What You’ll Practice & Learn with EWskills
The following points are covered in this track:
| Category | Topics Covered | Firmware Developer: Importance & Skill Gain |
|---|---|---|
| Classes & Encapsulation | Classes vs Structs, Access Specifiers (public/private), this pointer, Const correctness, Initializer lists. | Driver Development: Hiding complex hardware details (register bits) behind clean, safe APIs (e.g., Motor.start()) while preventing illegal states. |
| Static Memory Management | Placement New, Static Object Pools, Singleton Pattern, Stack allocation, Custom allocators. | Reliability: Learning to use C++ objects without dynamic memory allocation (new/delete). Critical for real-time systems and crash prevention. |
| Polymorphism & HALs | Virtual Functions, Abstract Base Classes (Interfaces), Pure Virtual methods, V-Table understanding. | Portability: Creating a generic Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) (e.g., IGPIO) so your code works on any microcontroller (STM32, ESP32, AVR) interchangeably. |
| Modern Callbacks | Lambdas (Stateful & Stateless), std::function (and embedded alternatives), Functors. | Event Handling: Replacing messy function pointers and void* arguments with type-safe, readable callbacks for interrupts and timers. |
| Templates & Generics | Function Templates, Class Templates, Fixed-size containers (Ring Buffers), Compile-time checks. | Efficiency: Writing code once that works for different data types (int/float) or buffer sizes, with zero runtime overhead. |
| Resource Management (RAII) | Constructors/Destructors, Scope Locks, Automatic cleanup, Copy/Move semantics. | Safety: Automating "cleanup" tasks. Example: A generic Lock object that disables interrupts when created and automatically re-enables them when it goes out of scope. |
| Operator Overloading | Overloading +, -, <<, [], Functors. | Readability: Making complex data types (like Fixed-Point Math, Complex Numbers, or GPIO Pins) behave like built-in types for cleaner math and logic. |
| Compile-Time Logic | constexpr, static_assert, Type Traits, Enums (enum class). | Performance: Shifting calculations (like baud rate divisors or lookup tables) from run-time to compile-time to save battery and CPU cycles. |
Who Should Practice Here?
- Embedded C Developers who want to modernize their skills and move to C++.
- C++ Developers from desktop backgrounds who want to learn hardware constraints.
- Engineering Students preparing for modern automotive, robotics, or IoT roles.
- Architects looking to build cleaner, reusable firmware libraries.
Start Slow, Go Deep!
Embedded C++ is a powerful tool, but it requires discipline. It is easy to write "bloated" C++ code. The goal of this track is to teach you how to write lean, efficient, and safe C++.
Take your time to understand how the compiler translates your classes into machine code. The goal is to gain the high-level power of C++ with the low-level control of C.
Let’s get started.