Top 9 free C/C++ IDEs with Compiler for Windows, Ubuntu and Mac OS X.

Top 9 Free C/C++ IDEs with Compilers for Windows,  Ubuntu and Mac OS X.

Have you ever wondered what happens during the compilation process and how the C program gets converted to an executable?

There are four main stages through which a source code passes in order to finally become an executable.

The four stages for a C/C++ program to become an executable are the following:

1. Pre-processing
2. Compilation
3. Assembly
4. Linking

1. Eclipse IDE for C/C++

In computer programming, Eclipse is an integrated development environment (IDE). It contains a base workspace and an extensible plug-in system for customizing the environment. Eclipse is written mostly in Java and its primary use is for developing Java applications, but it may also be used to develop applications in other programming languages through the use of plugins, including: Ada, ABAP, C, C++, COBOL, Fortran, Haskell, JavaScript, Julia, Lasso, Lua, NATURAL, Perl, PHP,Prolog, Python, R, Ruby (including Ruby on Rails framework), Scala, Clojure, Groovy, Scheme, and Erlang. It can also be used to develop packages for the software Mathematica. Development environments include the Eclipse Java development tools (JDT) for Java and Scala, Eclipse CDT for C/C++ and Eclipse PDT for PHP, among others.

2. Netbeans

NetBeans is a software development platform written in Java. The NetBeans Platform allows applications to be developed from a set of modular software components called modules. Applications based on the NetBeans Platform, including the NetBeans integrated development environment (IDE), can be extended by third party developers.

The NetBeans IDE is primarily intended for development in Java, but also supports other languages, in particular PHP, C/C++and HTML5.

3. Code:: Blocks

Code::Blocks is a free, open-source cross-platform IDE that supports multiple compilers including GCC, Clang and Visual C++. It is developed in C++ using wxWidgets as the GUI toolkit. Using a plugin architecture, its capabilities and features are defined by the provided plugins. Currently, Code::Blocks is oriented towards C, C++, and Fortran. It has a custom build system and optional Make support.

Code::Blocks is being developed for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X and has been ported to FreeBSD, OpenBSD and Solaris.

4. Digital Mars

Digital Mars is a small American software company owned by Walter Bright that makes C and C++ compilers, and associated utilities such as an integrated development environment (IDE) for Windows and DOS, which Digital Mars terms an integrated development and debugging environment (IDDE). They also distribute the compilers for free on their web site.

Over time, the names of these products have changed. The C compiler was first named Datalight C compiler, then Zorland C, then Zortech C, and now Digital Mars C/C++ compiler. The C++ compiler was first named Zortech C++ (the first commercial C++ compiler for Windows), then Symantec C++, and now Digital Mars C++ (DMC++).

5. C Free

C-Free is a professional C/C++ integrated development environment (IDE) that support multi-compilers. Use of this software, user can edit, build, run and debug programs freely. 
With C/C++ source parser included, although C-Free is a lightweight C/C++ development tool, it has powerful features to let you make use of it in your project.

6. SkyIDE

SkyIDE is a free IDE with support for C++, Java, Digital Mars D, C#, VB.NET, Pascal, JavaScript, VBScript, PHP, Haskell, and plain text. The application contains a wide range of features, such as macros, compiler profiles, and an environment manager.

7. CodeLite

CodeLite is a free, open-source, cross-platform IDE for the C, C++, PHP, and JavaScript (Node.js) programming languages.

8. Dev C++

Dev-C++ is a free full-featured integrated development environment (IDE) distributed under the GNU General Public License for programming in C and C++. It is written in Delphi.

It is bundled with, and uses, the MinGW or TDM-GCC 64bit port of the GCC as its compiler. Dev-C++ can also be used in combination with Cygwin or any other GCC-based compiler.

The project is hosted by SourceForge.

Dev-C++ is generally considered a Windows-only program, but there are attempts to create a Linux version: header files and path delimiters are switchable between platforms.

9. MinGW

It includes a port of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), GNU Binutils for Windows (assembler, linker, archive manager), a set of freely distributable Windows specific header files and static import libraries which enable the use of the Windows API, a Windows native build of the GNU Project's GNU Debugger, and miscellaneous utilities.

MinGW does not rely on third-party C runtime dynamic-link library (DLL) files, and because the runtime libraries are not distributed using the GNU General Public License (GPL), it is not necessary to distribute the source code with the programs produced, unless a GPL library is used elsewhere in the program.

Enjoy Coding!!