Understanding Program Termination in C
Premature program termination can lead to resource leaks and data corruption. C offers several mechanisms to end a program's execution, each with its own implications.
Recommended Approach: Return from Main
The most straightforward method is to return from the main function with a proper exit status. This ensures a clean termination and provides information to the caller about the program's execution. If an error condition requires termination, throw an exception and catch it in the main function before returning.
Caution: Throwing Exceptions
While throwing exceptions can trigger stack unwinding and cleanup, it's crucial to catch all exceptions because uncaught exceptions may not always perform unwinding. Therefore, catch exceptions in the main function and return an appropriate exit status.
Discouraged: Using std::exit
std::exit is discouraged as it does not perform stack unwinding and leaves objects on the stack undisposed. This can lead to resource leaks and undefined behavior.
Alternative Strategies
Other termination options exist, but they should be used judiciously:
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