CppNorth, The Canadian C++ Conference 2025

C++ is a powerful language, but with great power comes… plenty of pitfalls. Memory management quirks (even when using smart pointers), subtle undefined behaviors, and bug-prone code can silently introduce dangerous behaviors—only to surface at the worst possible moment in production. While static code analysis can catch some of these issues, it requires proper usage and adherence to warnings, and even then, it won’t catch everything. Many of these traps can lead to hard-to-debug issues, safety problems, and security vulnerabilities.
In this talk, we’ll explore some of the most notorious C++ pitfalls and sharp edges, discussing strategies to avoid them and write safer, more resilient code. We’ll walk through both design best practices and C++ coding guidelines to help you navigate the language’s trickier corners with confidence.