When should you use a class vs a struct in C++?

Question

In what scenarios is it better to use a struct vs a class in C++?

Answer 1

The differences between a class and a struct in C++ are:

• struct members and base classes/structs are public by default.
• class members and base classes/structs are private by default.

Both classes and structs can have a mixture of public, protected and private members, can use inheritance, and can have member functions.

I would recommend you:

• use struct for plain-old-data structures without any class-like features;
• use class when you make use of features such as private or protected members, non-default constructors and operators, etc.