Explore the full potential of C++ by mastering the standard library.

Become a C++ Programmer

The C++ standard library is a collection of all the tools and utilities available in C++. It received its latest update in 2017, known as C++17. The update introduces many new features that further optimize our code. This module will help us fully grasp C++ and use it to its full potential.

C++ Standard Library


We get **cyclic references** of `std::shared_ptr` if they refer to each other. 

# The issue
If we have a cyclic reference of `std::shared_ptr`, the reference counter will never become 0. We can break this cycle if by embedding an `std::weak_ptr` in the cycle. `std::weak_ptr` does not modify the reference counter.

>Theoretically, we can use a raw pointer to break the cycle of `std::shared_ptr`'s, but a raw pointer has two disadvantages. First, they don’t have a well-defined interface. Second, they don’t support an interface that can create an `std::shared_ptr` out of it.




In this lesson, we'll examine how the use of shared pointers can create a reference cycle and why this could be harmful.

Cyclic References