Type safe

The language prevents you from using a value as the wrong type and catches such mistakes at compile time (or runtime) instead of letting your program quietly misbehave.

int x = 10;
double* p = (double*)&x;   // allowed in C++

This compiles successfully. It should not. This is not type-safe behavior.

Example 1

enum Color { RED, GREEN };
int x = RED;   // allowed since RED is a int after all (classic enum)

Here:

RED becomes an int
Compiler doesn’t stop you
Less type-safe

enum class Color { RED, GREEN };
int x = Color::RED;   // ❌ error

Here:

Compiler enforces the type
You must be explicit
This is type-safe.

Example 2

void print(int x);

print(3.14);   // allowed (coercion)

C++ converts double → int silently. That’s less type-safe.

More type-safe approach:

void print(double x);

Last modified: 08 February 2026