8 Main Uses of C Programming in 2023

C programming is a popular and widely used programming language that has been around for decades. It is known for its efficiency, flexibility, and portability, making it a terrific choice for many developers.

C has historically been used to develop operating systems such as Unix, database software, compilers, and utility software.

In this blog, we will explore what C programming language is, the history of this language, and, more importantly, what C programming is used for.

History of C language

The C programming language was developed in the 1970s by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs. C's syntax is based on  B, another language developed at Bell labs in the 1960s.

C was designed to write system-level software, including operating systems. The language became popular quickly as programmers began adopting it because of its efficiency, flexibility, and portability.

The first significant use of the C language was to develop the Unix operating system. Today, almost all popular operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, Linux, and even macOS, are based on Unix.

In addition, C has been widely used to develop software such as compilers, text editors, database systems, and more.

As C is very efficient, hardware programmers use it to code firmware for embedded systems. Over the years, C has maintained its popularity and is still considered one of the essential programming languages in the world.

Many other programming languages, such as Python and C++, are C-based.

What is C Used For?

C is used in many areas like building databases, compilers, operating systems, kernels, drivers, browsers, and application software.

Let us now explore these application areas in detail.

Building Databases

Programmers can use C to build database management systems, which are software to organize, store, retrieve and manipulate data.

Veteran programmers also build database engines with C, which is quite efficient and provides better performance. C is also used to develop database libraries. Most database libraries have pre-built functions to provide a convenient way for programmers to access and manipulate data.

Sometimes, programmers use C to write database applications like a Database Administration tool or a database-backed web application.

These applications can use many database libraries and interfaces to interact with a DBMS and perform tasks like querying and updating records.

Designing Compilers

A compiler is a program that translates source code written in a programming language into machine code that can be executed by a computer. Compiler development can be a complex and time-consuming process, and C is well-suited to handle it. With C, we can write compilers with features such as lexical analysis, parsing, and code generation.

Programmers use C to write support libraries or utilities for compilers. These libraries provide functions for tasks such as error handling, memory management, and code optimization.

C helps us build command-line tools or graphical user interfaces that allow users to interact with the compiler.

Developing Operating Systems

An operating system is a software program that acts as a bridge between the hardware and software of a computer. We need an OS to handle a computer's basic functions, such as scheduling tasks, managing resources like RAM and CPU, controlling input/output devices, and more.

Operating systems contain many components like kernels, system libraries, and utility software, all of which can be built with C. An operating system kernel written in C is efficient, this is why almost all operating systems are based on Unix (which, as we mentioned, is written in C).

Using C, programmers can code operating system utilities like network applications, I/O functions, and process management. In addition, file managers, networking software, and system administration features are also written in C.

Graphical User Interface

While C is not necessarily the go-to language for GUI software, you can still build decent GUIs with it. C does not have built-in support for features such as widgets, buttons, and other GUI elements, and it requires a lot of low-level coding to implement these features.

But thankfully, there are third-party libraries and frameworks to provide support for GUI development in C.

A few of these libraries are GTK+, Qt, and wxWidgets. You can use these to provide a set of functions and tools we can use to create graphical user interfaces using C.

Gaming And Animation

C does not have built-in support for animation and gaming. It lacks features such as 3D graphics, audio, and other multimedia elements, requiring low-level coding to implement these features.

But despite these limitations, C can still be used in game and animation development thanks to third-party libraries such as OpenGL, SDL, and SFML. These libraries provide a set of functions and tools that can be used to create graphics, audio, and other multimedia elements using C.

On the other hand, C++ is used extensively in developing game engines, and most of the credit goes to C, as C++ is based on the C programming language.

Embedded Systems

Embedded systems are typically small, low-power devices that are designed to perform a specific task, such as controlling a motor or monitoring a sensor.These systems often have limited memory and processing power. So, C is a good choice for programming them because it allows developers to write efficient code to effectively use the resources.

One of the key features of C that makes it well-suited for use in embedded systems is its support for a wide range of data types and control structures.

C allows developers to create programs that can perform various tasks, such as reading and writing to memory, interacting with hardware devices, and controlling the flow of data.

In addition, C programs can run on various platforms and devices, making it easy to write code for multiple types of embedded systems, which is necessary for developing complex systems.

Browser Engines

Programmers use C to write parts of browsers that need low-level system access and performance optimization.

For instance, every browser has a rendering engine responsible for displaying web pages on the user screen. We can use C or C++ to write these engines so the websites load faster.

In addition to browser engines, C is also used for writing plugins and extensions for web browsers.