# What are the most important C++ operators? C++ operators are essential for programming with C++. Whether you are just beginning to [learn C++](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/websites/web-development/learn-c/) or have been working with the programming language for a while, operators can make programming simpler and more efficient. The function of some operators can be deduced from their name, while others may take some time to memorize. ## What are C++ operators? An operator is a **sign for an operation**, which is applied to at least one operand, but in most cases to several. This results in a new value in most cases. A popular example of these are the arithmetic operators you learn in school, for example, “+” for addition and “-” for subtraction. C++ operators are not only distinguishable according to their functional purpose. The operator’s **arity** is also an important criterion:

Arity	Number of operands	Example
Unary operators	One operand	Logical negation: !var_name
Binary operators	Two operand	Addition: value1 + value2
Ternary operators	Three operands	If-else-condition: condition? condition_true : condition_false

## What is operator precedence? As with arithmetic operators in school or [Python operators](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/websites/web-development/python-operators/ "Python operators"), there is an operator precedence for C++ operators. This specifies the **order in which the operators should be evaluated**. The dot before dash rule applies for arithmetic operators, however, there are other rules for other C++ operators. ```C++ if (var1 && var2 || var3) { do_something(); } ``` The example above shows the logical expression being evaluated after the if operator. The && operator (logical And) has priority over the \|\| operator (logical Or). So, if the evaluation of “var1 && var2” or the evaluation of “var3” returns “true”, the “do\_something()” function call is executed. You can also use **brackets** to be on the safe side. ### How to overload C++ operators You can overload most C++ operators. This means that you can assign **a new meaning** to an existing operator **in a context**. To perform an operator overload in C++, you need the **keyword “operator”**. When overloading, this keyword should be put before the C++ operator. Operator overloading in C++ will behave like function overloading. Tip [Webspace hosting](https://www.ionos.ca/hosting/webspace "Webspace from IONOS") from IONOS is perfect for backing up your C++ projects online. You can install it with just one click. ## An overview of C++ operators ### Arithmetic operators You probably already know the arithmetic C++ operators from school. They operate on numbers and return a new number. The arithmetic operators are all binary operators, except for the unary plus and unary minus.

C++ operator	Meaning	Example
+	Addition / unary plus	6 + 4
-	Subtraction / unary minus	10 - 6
*	Multiplication	10* 3
/	Integer division	20 / 10
%	Modulo	21 % 2

### Assignment operators Similar to other programming languages, values are stored in variables. You need special operators to assign concrete values to these variables. #### Simple assignment operators

C++ operator	Meaning	Example
=	Simple assignment	x = 3
++	Increment	x++
--	Decrement	x--

#### Combined assignment operators In addition to the simple assignment operators, C++ also supports combined operators. These are arithmetic or bitwise operations which are **simultaneously combined with a value assignment**: ```C++ int x = 4; x += 2; ``` The code example above shows that the variable x assigned the numeric value 4 with a simple assignment. The combined assignment operator “+=” is used to perform an arithmetic addition after this and saves the resulting value directly in x. The assignment would be “x = x + 2” after being written out.

C++ operator	Meaning	Example
+=	Addition and assignment	x += 2
-=	Subtraction and assignment	x -= 2
*=	Multiplication and assignment	x* = 2
/=	Division and assignment	x /= 2
%=	Modulo and assignment	x %= 2
&=	Bitwise And and assignment	b &= 1
<<=	Bitshift left and assignment	b <<= 1
>>=	Bitshift right and assignment	b >>= 1
^=	Bitwise Xor and assignment	b ^= 1
`	=`	Bitwise Or and assignment

### Logical C++ operators You can use the C++ logical operators for propositional comparisons of two expressions. Logical operators are binary, except for the Logical Not, which only refers to one statement and negates its truth value.

C++ operator	Meaning	Example
&&	Logical And	true && true
`		`
!	Logical Not	!true

### Comparison operators Comparison operators are C++ operators that examine the relationship between two elements. They are binary, except for the three-way comparison, which returns a number. The return value of all C++ comparison operators is a truth value.

C++ operator	Meaning	Example
==	Equality	a == b
!=	Inequality	a != b
<=	Smaller or equal	a <= b
>=	Greater or equal	a >= b
<	Smaller	a < b
>	Larger	a > b
<=>	Three-way comparison	a <=> b

### Bit manipulation Bitwise C++ operators access individual bits efficiently and improve the speed of programs. They are especially important for performance-oriented programming.

C++ operator	Meaning	Example
&	Bitwise And	a & b
`	`	Bitwise Or
^	Bitwise Xor	a ^ b
~	Bitwise negation	~a
<<	Left shift	a << b
>>	Right shift	a >> b

### Memory management C++ is a machine-oriented language and has a several operators for memory management.

C++ operator	Meaning	Example
&	Address determination	&x
sizeof()	Determines the memory requirement of an expression	sizeof(x)
new	Creates a new object and returns pointer	object* pointer = new object()
delete	Destroys an object	delete object

### Data access for objects and pointers The following C++ operators will help you access individual members of objects or the memory areas of pointers.

C++ operator	Meaning	Example
*	Dereferencing pointers, returns memory area	\* pointer = 3;
.	Accesses members of an object	object.member = 2;
->	Accesses members of an object with a pointer	objectpointer->member = 2;

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