Effective C

 This book is an introduction to the C language. It is written to be as accessible as possible to anyone who wants to learn C programming, without dumbing it down. In other words, we didn’t overly simplify C programming in the way many other introductory books and courses might. These overly simplified references will teach you how to get code to compile and run, but the code might still be wrong. Developers who learn how to program C from such sources will typically develop substandard, flawed, insecure code that will eventually need to be rewritten (often sooner than later). Hopefully, these developers will eventually benefit from senior developers in their organizations who will help them unlearn these harmful misconceptions about programming in C, and help them start developing professional quality C code. On the other hand, this book will quickly teach you how to develop correct, portable, professional-quality code, build a foundation for developing security-critical and safety-critical systems, and perhaps teach you a thing or two that even the senior developers at your organization don’t know.

 Effective C: An Introduction to Professional C Programming is a concise introduction to essential C language programming that will soon have you writing programs, solving problems, and building working systems. The code examples are idiomatic and straightforward.

 In this book, you’ll learn about essential programming concepts in C and practice writing high-quality code with exercises for each topic. You’ll also learn about good software engineering practices for developing correct, secure C code. Go to this book’s page at https://www.nostarch.com/effective_c/ or to https://robertseacord.com/wp/ where we will provide updates and additional material. If you are interested in learning more about secure coding in C, C++, or other languages after completing this book, please check out the training classes offered through NCC Group at https://www.nccgroup.trust/us/our-services/cyber-security/security-training/secure-coding/