# Modern C++ Design by Andrei Alexandrescu

9 Hacker News commenters recommended Modern C++ Design by Andrei Alexandrescu and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Readers credit it with teaching them to think about C++ design, especially policy classes; critics say its template-heavy techniques are hard to use and slow compiles.

## Why people recommend it

- Changed how they think about design (2 comments): "His book on modern C++ design was a mind opener at the time I read it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48409772)) "he taught me how to think" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48409956))
- Praised as one of the best (2 comments): "probably the programming book I've gotten the most out of in my career" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48412986)) "the book is definitively one of the best" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47397693))

## What people warn about

- Template-heavy code slows compiles (2 comments): "It also caused developers to produce template-heavy code that took minutes to compile." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48416625)) "Cute template tricks to make you feel smart and increase compile time" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48418549))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crafting Interpreters by Robert Nystrom](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crafting-interpreters.md): 60 recommend
- [Clean Code by Robert C. Martin](https://hackerapproved.com/p/clean-code.md): 31 recommend
- [The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas](https://hackerapproved.com/p/pragmatic-programmer.md): 28 recommend
- [How to Design Programs by Felleisen, Findler, Flatt and Krishnamurthi](https://hackerapproved.com/p/how-to-design-programs.md): 18 recommend
- [Mastering Emacs by Mickey Petersen](https://hackerapproved.com/p/mastering-emacs.md): 17 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0201704315?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780201704310) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Modern C++ Design by Andrei Alexandrescu", https://hackerapproved.com/p/modern-c-plus-plus-design/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).