Source: https://mokxi.com/learn/cpp-for-embedded Updated: 2026-11-11 Coding track C++ for embedded # Learn C++ for embedded systems, on a board Types with a size, pointers and structs first, then references, classes, ring buffers, templates and code you can test without the hardware. Free In your browser 2 courses, 20 lessons, about 16 hours Start free Variables have a size See the course Overview ## How you will learn it Embedded C++ is C++ with a budget: a few kilobytes of memory, no operating system and a board that does exactly what the code says. Learning it on a simulated Arduino means every idea shows up as something the board does. C++ on a board teaches the language one idea per lesson. C++ that scales adds the habits that keep a big firmware sane: const references, classes, a ring buffer, a state machine class, templates and logic split from the pins so you can test it. Outcomes ## What you will learn - Choose types by size and know where integer math throws things away. - Use pointers, structs and your own header files. - Write classes, ring buffers and state machines for firmware. - Split logic from hardware so it can be tested on its own. Your route ## The courses and lessons to take Every lesson opens in the editor right away, signed in or not, and the simulator checks each step. - Step 1 · 13 lessons · 10 h ### C++ on a board The language, one idea per lesson. - Variables have a size A box with a name, a type and a value. On this board an int is two bytes, and the sketch shows what happens when a number does not fit. - Where a thing lives A pointer holds an address. The & and * operators, a function that really changes the caller's variable, and why an array is handed over as a pointer. - Things that belong together A struct gives one name to the pieces that make up one thing. Three lamps, each with a pin, a rate, a last time and a state, in one array instead of twelve loose variables. - One variable that says where you are A reaction game as four named states and one variable. An enum, one block per state, and a button that moves the machine on. Nothing blocks and nothing is nested. Every lesson in the course - Step 2 · 7 lessons · 6 h ### C++ that scales The habits real firmware needs. - References and const A copy, a reference and a const reference to one struct: which changes stick, what each one costs, and a swap that only works through references. - A ring buffer A fixed array that behaves like an endless queue: a head and a tail that wrap, overwrite the oldest when full, and a power-of-two capacity the compiler checks. - A state machine class The elevator rebuilt as a Lift class: enum class states, one private go() that every transition passes through, and settings that belong to the constructor. - Testable logic split from pins A Morse decoder cut in two: logic that takes plain numbers and never touches a pin, so setup() can test it, and a thin pin layer. Find a bug with a test, fix it, move the logic to its own file. Every lesson in the course Keep going ## Guides and tools on the same subject Guide ### Arduino state machine Open it Guide ### Arduino static variable vs global Open it Tool ### Online Arduino compiler Open it Track ### Coding track Python and C++ from your first print to classes, tests and state machines. Every program runs on a simulated board, so a bug is something you can see. See the whole track Questions ## Questions people ask Is Arduino code real C++? Yes. A sketch is C++ compiled by the same compiler embedded professionals use, with a few helper functions on top. C or C++ for embedded? Both are used. C++ adds classes, references and templates that make bigger firmware easier to organize, and it can do everything C does. Do I need to know C first? No. C++ on a board starts from a program that is a list of steps and builds up.