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Free courseJetBrains Academy

C++Basics

Create your first game learning C++—no experience needed, full guidance, all in a pro IDE.

Skill levelBeginner
Time to complete 26 days
Skill levelBeginner
Time to complete 26 days

About this course

This beginner-friendly course helps you start writing C++ with confidence. Each lesson offers clear, step-by-step guidance and hands-on practice in a professional IDE tailored for learners.

You’ll learn to write and organize multi-file programs from scratch while exploring C++’s unique features: manual memory management, pointers, references, and low-level control.

Along the way, you’ll build a simple 2D arcade game, a practical project to reinforce your skills and experience how C++ powers real-world applications.

Your result: a solid foundation in modern C++ and the skills to move into systems programming, game development, or performance-critical software.

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This course runs directly in your JetBrains IDE

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Content

  1. First program
  2. On types of variables in C++
  1. Start the Game
  2. Move an Object
  3. Giving Direction
  4. Draw a Line
  5. Running in a Loop
  6. Hunting Bugs
  7. Play Around
  1. Pointers
  2. Swap
  3. Null pointer
  4. Pointer Arithmetics
  5. Arrays memory layout
  6. Function pointers
  7. Static memory
  8. Stack memory
  9. Dynamic memory
  10. Copy array
  11. Memory errors
  1. Doubly linked list
  1. const keyword
  2. Mutable or immutable
  3. References
  4. Swap again
  5. Passing arguments
  1. C and C++ styles
  2. C style type casts
  3. Choose valid type cast
  4. C style strings
  5. C style strings concatenation
  6. C style strings splitting

Learn with the tools developers use every day

Real-world development environmentZoom
Real-world development environmentZoom
Real-world development environmentZoom
Real-world development environmentZoom

  • Real-world development environment

    Gain practical experience with the tools and workflows you'll use in your career, minimizing the learning curve when transitioning to real-world projects.

  • Project-based learning journey

    Our plugin is built to help you finish real-world coding projects, which you can display in your code portfolio after completion.

  • Collaboration via Git

    Effortlessly track changes and collaborate on projects using Git, an essential tool for programmers in every field.

  • Focused learning

    Enjoy fewer distractions with assignments, code, debugging, and version control all in one window.

Student? Get JetBrains IDEs & hands-on courses — free for the full duration of your studies.

Apply using your school email, student ID, ISIC card, or another official document.

What do you need to start?

1

Install the Free JetBrains Toolbox App

The JetBrains Toolbox App 2.7+ makes setting up your course effortless. Already have a compatible IDE? It will launch it. If not, the app will install the right free IDE for your course.

Learn more about our licences here.

Download
2

Confirm the course launch

Click Launch course and then Allow to open the Toolbox App.

Select Always Allow to skip this confirmation in the future.

To return to the course later, find it in your IDE's recent projects.

Need more help? Check out our guide.

The JetBrains Toolbox App 2.7+ makes setting up your course effortless. Already have a compatible IDE? It will launch it. If not, the app will install the right free IDE for your course.

Learn more about our licences here.

Download

Click Launch course and then Allow to open the Toolbox App.

Select Always Allow to skip this confirmation in the future.

To return to the course later, find it in your IDE's recent projects.

Need more help? Check out our guide.

FAQ and troubleshooting

Yes, you will need the JetBrains Toolbox App and a JetBrains IDE.

But don’t worry! Just click the Open course button and then select Allow in the resultant popup to install the JetBrains Toolbox App. We've taken care of all the necessary settings, and the app will handle the rest of the setup for you.

The JetBrains Toolbox App checks which IDE is compatible with your course and whether it is installed on your computer. If you have the necessary IDE installed, the app will open it. If not, JetBrains Toolbox will initiate the installation, prioritizing free community editions.

Yes, the JetBrains Toolbox App is essential even if you already have a JetBrains IDE. It automatically prepares your IDE for studying by installing the essential plugins and updating the IDE if necessary.

Please make sure your version of the JetBrains Toolbox App is 2.6 or newer. To update, open the app and click Update Toolbox App to 2.6.x., or download the latest version here.

Yes, the course is free, but it requires a licensed version of CLion. If you don't have one, please claim a 30-day free trial or take advantage of our free student license offer. For further details, see our Subscription Options and Pricing page.

There might be an issue with the settings. To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Settings | Advanced Settings.
  2. Ensure that Use the ReSharper C++ language engine (CLion Nova) is disabled.
  3. If it is enabled, disable it and restart your IDE.

These steps should help launch the tests successfully.

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You'll take this course in your JetBrains IDE.
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