Installing and Using Boost Libraries on Ubuntu

Introduction

Boost is a collection of high-quality, peer-reviewed C++ libraries that extend the functionality of the C++ standard library. It’s widely used in professional software development for tasks ranging from multi-threading and regular expressions to data structures and mathematical operations. This tutorial will guide you through installing Boost on Ubuntu, along with a basic example of how to use one of its libraries.

Installation Methods

There are two primary methods for installing Boost on Ubuntu: using the package manager (apt) or building from source.

Method 1: Using `apt` (Package Manager)

The simplest way to install Boost is through Ubuntu’s package manager. Open your terminal and run the following command:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install libboost-all-dev

This command installs the development files for all Boost libraries, allowing you to compile and link your programs against them.

Using a PPA (Personal Package Archive)

Sometimes, the version of Boost available in the standard Ubuntu repositories might be outdated. If you need a more recent version, you can use a PPA. Run these commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:boost-latest/ppa
sudo apt update
sudo apt install libboost-all-dev

This adds the Boost Latest PPA to your system, updates the package list, and then installs the development files.

Method 2: Building from Source

If you require a specific version of Boost or want more control over the build process, you can build it from source. Here’s how:

Download the Source: Download the desired Boost version from the official Boost website (https://www.boost.org/users/history/). For example, to download version 1.55:
```
wget -O boost_1_55_0.tar.gz https://sourceforge.net/projects/boost/files/boost/1.55.0/boost_1_55_0.tar.gz/download
```
Extract the Archive:
```
tar xzvf boost_1_55_0.tar.gz
```
Navigate to the Boost Directory:
```
cd boost_1_55_0
```

Install Dependencies: Boost relies on several dependencies. Install them using:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install build-essential g++ python3-dev autotools-dev libicu-dev libbz2-dev

Bootstrap and Build: Run the bootstrap script, then build Boost.
```
./bootstrap.sh --prefix=/usr/local
./b2
```
To utilize multiple cores for faster building, determine the number of cores available on your system and use the -j flag. For example, if you have 8 cores:
```
./b2 -j 8
```
Install Boost: Finally, install Boost with:
```
sudo ./b2 install
```
This will install the Boost libraries and headers to /usr/local/lib and /usr/local/include, respectively. If /usr/local/lib is not in your library path, you may need to add it:
```
sudo sh -c 'echo "/usr/local/lib" >> /etc/ld.so.conf.d/local.conf'
sudo ldconfig
```

Using Boost: A Simple Example

Let’s demonstrate how to use Boost with a basic example using the boost::array library.

Create a C++ File: Create a file named main.cpp with the following content:

#include <iostream>
#include <boost/array.hpp>

using namespace std;

int main() {
  boost::array<int, 4> arr = {{1, 2, 3, 4}};
  cout << "hi" << arr[0] << endl;
  return 0;
}

Compile the Code: Compile the code using g++:
```
g++ -o s main.cpp
```
Run the Executable:
```
./s
```
This will print "hi1" to the console, demonstrating that you have successfully installed and used Boost.

Conclusion

This tutorial has provided a comprehensive guide to installing and using Boost on Ubuntu. Whether you choose the package manager or the build-from-source method, you should now be able to leverage the powerful capabilities of Boost in your C++ projects.