How should I organize a small C project?

[momoamr28]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

Body

I'm working on a small C project and I'm wondering how I should organize the source files. Is it better to keep everything in one .c file for a small project, or should I separate things into .c and .h files from the beginning? What would you recommend for a beginner?

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[kingofdead6]

For a small C project, I’d start with one .c file if the project is genuinely tiny, but I’d introduce .h and separate .c files as soon as you have distinct responsibilities.

For example:

project/
├── src/
│   ├── main.c
│   ├── calculator.c
│   └── utils.c
├── include/
│   ├── calculator.h
│   └── utils.h
└── Makefile

The .h files contain declarations, types, and function prototypes, while the .c files contain the implementations.

For example:

// calculator.h
#ifndef CALCULATOR_H
#define CALCULATOR_H

int add(int a, int b);

#endif

// calculator.c
#include "calculator.h"

int add(int a, int b) {
    return a + b;
}

Then main.c can simply include the header and use the function.

I wouldn't split everything into separate files just for the sake of it. A good rule for beginners is: start simple, but separate code when a file starts having multiple unrelated responsibilities or when you want to reuse a component.

This also makes the project easier to test and maintain as it grows.

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