STL (C++ Standard Template Library)
Shares rank 6 of 7 standard libraries by recommenders
Built-in generic containers and algorithms mean you don't have to write your own, and it ships free with C++ compilers. Critics cite slow compiles, hidden bugs, and a design that feels dated.
Built-in generic containers and algorithms mean you don't have to write your own, and it ships free with C++ compilers. Critics cite slow compiles, hidden bugs, and a design that feels dated.
13 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 8
- approval share
- 38%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Built-in generic containers and algorithms
“having built-in generic containers and algorithms is the part that keeps me favoring C++”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “I Write Games in C (yes, C)” “you don't have the time to implement your own STL so you just use the STL”
Comment from 25 Nov 2025 in “Rethinking C++: Architecture, Concepts, and Responsibility”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Abstraction costs and slow compiles
“many generic functions found in the C++ stl have to pay significant abstraction costs”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “GC shape stenciling in Go generics” “The STL is mostly trash, not worth the increase in compilation times.”
Comment from 17 Jul 2026 in “Solod: Go can be a better C” Hidden bugs and concurrency issues
“Instead it was because of a kind of iterator invalidation that I had not expected”
Comment from 5 Aug 2026 in “The PImpl idiom and the C++26 std:indirect type” “we have had concurrency bugs and performance problems from using them”
Comment from 24 Jul 2026 in “The PImpl idiom and the C++26 std:indirect type” “where not only is it close to unreadable, many many hidden bugs are”
Comment from 25 Nov 2025 in “APT Rust requirement raises questions” Dated design next to newer languages
“Sorry sir, I have a nostalgic fondness for C++, but it just doesn't compare.”
Comment from 24 May 2026 in “dotNET (OK, C#) gets union types” “Look at C++'s long in the tooth STL.”
Comment from 20 Aug 2026 in “Malicious Rust Crate Arrayref Runs a Build-Time Payload”
Other standard libraries people recommend
The four most recommended other standard libraries, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Go standard library | 34 | 15 | 69% | 11 | — | Approved |
| C++ Standard Library | 15 | 23 | 39% | 8 | — | — |
| Python standard library | 13 | 7 | 65% | 8 | — | — |
| Rust standard library | 12 | 16 | 43% | 9 | — | — |
| STL (C++ Standard Template Library)This page | 5 | 8 | 38% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
13 of the 14 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“infinite amounts of pain when they don't work”
“Look at C++'s long in the tooth STL.”
“Instead it was because of a kind of iterator invalidation that I had not expected”
“we have had concurrency bugs and performance problems from using them”
“The STL is mostly trash, not worth the increase in compilation times.”
“many generic functions found in the C++ stl have to pay significant abstraction costs”
“Sorry sir, I have a nostalgic fondness for C++, but it just doesn't compare.”
“they were extremely buggy back then”
“Fortunately it seems STL understood that and the internal ticket was eventually fixed”
“Just use Clang + MSVC STL + WinSDK. Very simple.”
“having built-in generic containers and algorithms is the part that keeps me favoring C++”
“where not only is it close to unreadable, many many hidden bugs are”
“you don't have the time to implement your own STL so you just use the STL”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.