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### 3.3 Compiling C++ Programs

C++ source files conventionally use one of the suffixes ‘`.C`’, ‘`.cc`’, ‘`.cpp`’, ‘`.CPP`’, ‘`.c++`’, ‘`.cp`’, or ‘`.cxx`’; C++ header files often use ‘`.hh`’ or ‘`.H`’; and preprocessed C++ files use the suffix ‘`.ii`’. GCC recognizes files with these names and compiles them as C++ programs even if you call the compiler the same way as for compiling C programs (usually with the name `gcc`).

However, C++ programs often require class libraries as well as a compiler that understands the C++ language—and under some circumstances, you might want to compile programs or header files from standard input, or otherwise without a suffix that flags them as C++ programs. You might also like to precompile a C header file with a ‘`.h`’ extension to be used in C++ compilations. `g++` is a program that calls GCC with the default language set to C++, and automatically specifies linking against the C++ library. On many systems, `g++` is also installed with the name `c++`.

When you compile C++ programs, you may specify many of the same command-line options that you use for compiling programs in any language; or command-line options meaningful for C and related languages; or options that are meaningful only for C++ programs. See Options Controlling C Dialect, for explanations of options for languages related to C. See Options Controlling C++ Dialect, for explanations of options that are meaningful only for C++ programs.