Skip to main content

Prerequisites for Boson Development

Before diving into Boson development, it's important to have a solid foundation in certain technologies and concepts. This page outlines the knowledge and tools you'll need to be successful with the Boson framework.

Knowledge Prerequisites​

C++ Proficiency​

Boson is a C++ framework, so familiarity with modern C++ is essential:

  • Core C++ Knowledge:

    • Classes and objects
    • Templates and generic programming
    • Lambda expressions
    • Smart pointers
    • Standard library containers and algorithms

  • Modern C++ Features (C++11/14/17):

    • Auto type deduction
    • Range-based for loops
    • Move semantics
    • Variadic templates
    • Standard library additions
    • Structured binding

  • Design Patterns:

    • Dependency injection
    • Factory pattern
    • Observer pattern
    • Singleton (used sparingly)
    • Strategy pattern

Web Development Concepts​

Understanding these web development fundamentals will help you work effectively with Boson:

  • HTTP Protocol:

    • Request/response model
    • HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.)
    • Status codes
    • Headers and cookies

  • RESTful API Design:

    • Resource modeling
    • CRUD operations
    • URL structure
    • Statelessness

  • Web Security:

    • Cross-site scripting (XSS)
    • Cross-site request forgery (CSRF)
    • SQL injection
    • Authentication mechanisms
    • Authorization principles

Development Tools​

Compilers​

Boson requires a C++17-compatible compiler:

CompilerMinimum VersionRecommended Version
GCC7.3+10.0+
Clang6.0+12.0+
MSVC19.14+ (VS 2017 15.7+)19.30+ (VS 2022)

Build Systems​

Boson uses CMake as its primary build system:

  • CMake 3.14 or newer
  • Build generator (one of the following):
    • Ninja (recommended for speed)
    • GNU Make
    • Visual Studio
    • Xcode

Package Managers​

While not strictly required, these package managers make dependency management easier:

  • vcpkg for Windows
  • Homebrew for macOS
  • apt/dnf for Linux distributions
  • Conan for cross-platform package management

Development Environment​

We recommend using one of these development environments for the best Boson experience:

  • Visual Studio Code with the following extensions:

    • C/C++ extension
    • CMake Tools
    • Clang-Format
    • C++ TestMate

  • CLion with the following plugins:

    • C/C++ tools (built-in)
    • ClangFormat

  • Visual Studio with the following extensions:

    • C++ CMake Tools for Windows

System Requirements​

Minimum System Requirements​

  • CPU: Dual-core, 2.0 GHz
  • RAM: 4 GB
  • Disk Space: 1 GB for Boson and dependencies
  • Operating System:
    • Windows 10+
    • macOS 10.15+
    • Ubuntu 18.04+/Debian 10+
    • Fedora 30+
    • CentOS/RHEL 8+

For an optimal development experience:

  • CPU: Quad-core, 3.0 GHz or faster
  • RAM: 8 GB or more
  • Disk Space: 2+ GB SSD
  • Operating System: Latest version of your preferred OS

Dependency Libraries​

Boson relies on several open-source libraries:

Required Dependencies​

  • OpenSSL (1.1.1+): For TLS/SSL support
  • zlib (1.2.11+): For compression

Optional Dependencies​

  • PostgreSQL client (libpq 10+): For PostgreSQL database support
  • MySQL client (libmysqlclient 8+): For MySQL database support
  • SQLite (3.24+): For SQLite database support
  • RapidJSON (1.1+): For JSON parsing/generation
  • cURL (7.58+): For HTTP client functionality
  • Google Test (1.10+): For unit testing

Next Steps​

Once you have all the prerequisites in place:

  1. Follow the Installation guide to install Boson
  2. Complete the Quickstart tutorial
  3. Explore the Hello World example

If you're missing any prerequisites, refer to the following resources to get up to speed: