| Feature | <stddef.h> |
<stdint.h> |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Pointer arithmetic, memory sizes, and offsets | Fixed-width integers for portability |
| Key Types | size_t, ptrdiff_t, NULL, offsetof |
int8_t, uint32_t, int_fast16_t, uintptr_t |
| Portability | Provides basic types tied to platform sizes | Ensures portability by defining exact-width types |
| Memory-Related | Deals with memory sizes and pointer arithmetic | Deals with specific integer sizes |
| Common in | System-level programming, memory management | Embedded systems, network protocols |
| Feature | static |
static const |
|---|---|---|
| Mutability | Mutable, value can change | Immutable, value cannot change after initialization |
| Memory | Stored in writable memory | Stored in read-only memory (if supported by architecture) |
| Scope/Visibility | File-scope (not visible outside the .c file) |
File-scope (not visible outside the .c file) |
| Usage | Suitable for mutable variables that should persist across function calls or be internal to a file | Suitable for constants that are internal to a file and should not be modified |