Your First Output (cout)

This lesson covers the basics of output in C++ using cout. It's for anyone searching "C++ cout tutorial."

std::cout << prints text to the screen. C++ builds on C, adding object-oriented programming and safer features on top — it's known for being extremely fast.

The example loads input/output functionality like cout with the line #include <iostream>, then outputs a string with std::cout << "Hello, C++!" << std::endl;. It helps to picture the << symbol as an arrow "pouring a value in."

A common early mistake is forgetting #include or std::. In C++, you need to include the header file for whatever feature you're using, and forgetting to do so produces a compile error.

In real projects, C++ is still used across a wide range of fields today wherever speed matters — game development, embedded devices, high-performance financial systems, and more.

📖 Reference code

#include <iostream>

int main() {
    std::cout << "Hello, C++!" << std::endl;
    return 0;
}

✍️ Your code

Type your code, then press "Run"

🧪 This site can't compile or run C++ directly, so it checks on the spot whether what you typed matches the reference code (scoring happens entirely in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere).