Has Windows an integrated built-in C/C++ compiler package?

Question

I would like to be able to compile C and C++ code under the Windows environment without using an IDE, just by using the Windows Command prompt (cmd.exe).

I come from Linux, where you are be able to install the gcc package with just a command in the terminal:

$ sudo apt install gcc

I wonder if there is a C/C++ compiler collection in a package inside the Windows install folders, just like the ones in Linux, I just need to install.

What also gives me a reason to ask this question is:

Since the kernel of Windows and the Windows API are written in C, and many of the high-level applications of the actual Windows 10 release are written in C++, it would be reasonable to also directly provide a suitable compiler suite. This is my thought modell, does not need to match reality.

Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Since the kernel of Windows and the Windows API are written in C

Microsoft doesn't ship a compiler, or the required Windows SDK headers/libs (also includes a bunch of other useful development tools) for Windows in the installation. Microsoft Visual C++ (part of Visual Studio ) would be the equivalent "built in" choice although I am not sure if Microsoft ever specify exactly which version they use for a given Windows build and it is common to have lots of software built with different compilers/versions (including the various non-Microsoft ones).

As well as the full Visual Studio package with the IDE and other tools. Microsoft provide some components separately, such as the Build Tools for Visual Studio 2019 .

I am sure this is for many reasons like most users not being interested in compiling their own software, and Microsoft still sells Visual Studio separately to larger organisations (historically to most serious users, but "Community" edition is now pretty nonrestrictive for individuals and small business).

Answer 2

Strangely enough it doesn't come with a C compiler, we need to install one, Mingw-w64 is allways my choice, you will need to add the path in environment variables (step 12), if you want to use it anywhere. You can then use the gcc command where it's more convenient like in Linux, don't forget to open a new cmd after the changes for them to take effect.

Unfortunately, Windows doesn't have the command line tools for installing/removing stuff and the great repository infrastructure we know and love from Linux.

Answer 3

You will need two things:

• The command-line build tools. These can be found on the Visual Studio Downloads page under Tools for Visual Studio -> Build Tools for Visual Studio . This will include the compiler ( cl.exe ) and linker ( link.exe ) for the MSVC build toolchain.
• The Windows SDK. The latest version of the SDK can currently be found here . This page has a tendency to move around, but googling for Windows SDK usually gives you the right page immediately. The SDK contains all the headers and libraries required to build Windows applications and make use of the Windows native API. The Windows SDK contains a lot of stuff which you may or may not need. You will almost certainly want to install the Windows SDK for Desktop C++ x86 Apps and Windows SDK for Desktop C++ amd64 Apps components. Most of the other stuff should be optional, but some of it is nonetheless highly useful.
• You may want to download additional packages such as the Windows Debugger (which is an entirely different application than the Visual Studio debugger) or the Driver SDK , depending on what kind of things you want to develop.

Note that even if you don't intend to use the IDE in the end, installing the full Community Edition of Visual Studio is a far more convenient way to get a working build environment, so unless you have a really good reason not to, just go with the full package and choose to never open the IDE.

Answer 4

The built in compilers available on Windows 10 are for VisualBasic, C#, JScript. To improve speed & performance of apps, " ngen.exe creates native images, which are files containing compiled processor-specific machine code, and installs them into the native image cache on the local computer. The runtime can use native images from the cache instead of using the just-in-time (JIT) compiler to compile the original assembly".

For low level programmers, ilasm.exe (IL Assembler) ships with Windows, which also facilitates "tool and compiler" development; so you could even create your own language or build a better compiler for a current one, or "debug your code at low level and understand how .NET deals with your high level code", or "write your own compiler for a new .NET language."

For web programmers, AspNetCompiler precompiles server-side ASP.NET web-applications, therefore helps application performance because end users do not encounter a delay on the first request to the application .

All Compilers & assemblers come as builtin with Windows without IDE and can be run from "the Windows Command prompt (cmd.exe)", so no extra downloads necessary; located in folder: C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\vx.x.xxxxx\ .

Note: C# is based on JScript.

Compilers:

• vbc.exe
• csc.exe
• jsc.exe
• ilasm.exe
• ngen.exe
• aspnet_compiler.exe

Addendum :

If you still are looking for a C compiler to handle some C source codes you already have spent your life on, then (without downloading) you can make/ write a C compiler , in a high level language, then optimize it with a low level language.

This guide will "introduce you to the high-level architecture, theory, and .NET Framework APIs that are required to build your own .NET compiler" in C#.

Answer 5

You can to use gcc for windows. For eg mingw , tdm-gcc , mingw-68 , Cygwin etc. Each of them allows you to work on c/c++ . But if you are not sure about the installation process, and don't want to do all the work by yourself, the easiest solution is to download something like dev-c++ or code-blocks .

cygwin: https://cygwin.com/
mingw-64: http://mingw-w64.org/doku.php
Downloadable file can be found here (for mingw , dev-c++ ): https://sourceforge.net/

Answer 6

You can also install Microsoft compiler. I usually do it by installing the whole visual studio.