Difference between Structure and Class in C++ in tabular form

The most important difference between structure and class in C++ is that class members are private by default, but public in structure.

A Structure is used when you want to process data of multiple data types but you still want to refer to the data as a single entity.

A Class is an object-oriented programming language (OOP) building unit that is defined by the user. Variables, functions, types, and typedefs, as well as member class templates, can all be included in a class.

As we all know, the most crucial factor to consider while creating an application is security. If we’re talking about security, we can’t hide implementation information in structures, but we can hide implementation details in classes.

A structure is solely for groups of data; but, if we use classes, data abstraction, and polymorphism are all possible.

Structure Vs Class in C++ in tabular form

The following difference will help you to understand which is better class or structure in C++ and When should you use a class vs a struct in C++?

#	Structure	Class
1.	A structure is a group of variables that share the same name but have different data types.	A class in C++ is a grouping of related variables and functions.
2.	If you want to declare a structure then use the struct keyword.	If you want to declare a class then use the class keyword.
3.	In C++, structures are stored in stack memory.	In C++, classes are stored in heap memory.
4.	A structure in C++ is a value type in nature.	A class in C++ is a reference type in nature.
5.	If you wish to get at a structure member, you must use a structure variable (instance of structure).	If you wish to get at a class member, you must use a object (Which is a instance of class).
6.	Structure is the ideal option if you have a small amount of data because it is intended for smaller amount data.	Class is the ideal option if you have a huge amount of data.
7.	A structure doesn’t permit the null value.	A class allows the null value.
8.	A structure is not allowed to declare a constructor.	But in case of class, you can add a destructor to destroy the object.
9.	Visibility of all members of a structure are public by default.	In the case of a class, however, all members are by default private.
10.	Structure variables can’t be initialized during declaration.	But you can initialize the members of class during declaration.

Similarities

• If you wish to make a member private, you may do so in both.
• You can declare constructor in both structure and class.
• When we look at the syntactic of both structure and class, we can see that their syntactic meanings are the same in C++.
• In C++, there are three access specifiers for classes and structs: public, private, and protected.

Syntax of Structure in C++

struct StructExample
{
	data-members1;
	data-members2;
	...
};

Syntax of Class in C++

class ClassExample
{
	private:
		class-members...
	public:
		class-members...
};

Note: You can’t use struct instead of class for the template parameter here.