In today’s fast-paced financial technology landscape, the demand for robust, high-performance software is increasing. At the core of the majority of financial innovations lies C++, a language revered for its speed, efficiency, and control.
As financial institutions continue to incorporate advanced electronics and embedded systems into their operations—be it through the ATMs we rely on for banking transactions, the sophisticated high-frequency trading platforms, or the secure transaction systems that protect our finances, C++ has become an indispensable tool.
Embedded systems are central to the proliferation of financial services which require real-time processing capabilities that only a highly performant language like C++ can provide. The financial sector’s demands for speed, precision, and security make C++ the language of choice for developers tasked with building the systems that underpin our financial infrastructure.
In this blog, we explore how C++ is used in these mission-critical financial systems. We’ll examine why it is suitable for embedded systems in finance.
Table of Contents
Embedded systems in financial services
What are embedded systems?
Embedded systems are specialized computing systems designed to perform dedicated tasks within larger devices or systems. Unlike general-purpose computers, they are optimized for specific functions, often operating with real-time constraints and limited resources. Common examples of embedded systems include automotive control units, medical devices like pacemakers, and home appliances such as microwaves or washing machines. These systems are crucial in industries requiring precise control and efficiency, even outside the financial sector.
How embedded apps and digitalization are transforming financial software
The primary driver of the increasing demand for embedded systems is digitalization. Or to be more specific, inevitable progress in tech is opening more ways to serve underbanked communities; these opportunities require more and more digital alternatives to traditional banking.
About two decades ago, the fintech model relied on singular banks serving a whole community. Today, every business is expected to accept payments through digital platforms, credit cards, and other payment platforms. This has minimized the red tape and payments and financial services have become more seamless.
For instance, e-wallets and banking apps on smartphones have certainly made financial services easier to access, however, physical devices must still be available for businesses to use as terminals and portals for digital transactions. This is where embedded systems on devices come in.
Examples of Embedded Systems used in financial services
Point-of-Sale (POS) Systems
POS systems are ubiquitous in retail stores, restaurants, and other businesses that accept payments. These systems integrate embedded processors and software to handle various functions like:
- Accepting credit/debit card payments
- Tracking inventory and sales data
- Generating receipts and reports
POS terminals are essentially embedded computers designed for payment processing and business management.
ATMs (Automated Teller Machines)
ATMs are self-service banking kiosks that contain embedded systems in the form of peripheral devices. Embedded systems help the main PC operating system manage the user interface, cash dispenser, and card reader. It can also communicate with the bank’s central computer system.
Contactless Payment Terminals
Contactless payment terminals are embedded systems that enable customers to make payments by tapping or waving their credit/debit cards or mobile devices near the terminal. These terminals use near-field communication (NFC) technology and are commonly found at retail checkouts and transit fare gates. Smartwatches, fitness trackers, and other wearable devices can be embedded with payment capabilities.
Section 2: C++ in finance and banking
Why financial embedded systems use C++
Embedded systems use C++ because it lets developers control hardware directly while still keeping the code organized and easier to manage.There is a good mix of low-level hardware control and high-level programming abstractions.
C++ is great for devices with limited memory or processing power, like small sensors or controllers, because it helps the code run fast. It also allows developers to write code that can work on different types of devices without starting from scratch. This makes C++ a popular choice for many embedded systems. Additionally, C++ offers portability, making it easier to adapt code across different embedded platforms.
The demands of financial software
In the financial sector, software systems face exceptionally high demands. These systems must deliver extreme performance, steadfast reliability, and robust security to support critical functions like real-time trading, transaction processing, and risk management. The stakes are incredibly high, as even minor software failures can result in significant financial losses, security breaches, and a loss of client trust.
C++ is well-equipped to meet these rigorous requirements. Renowned for its speed and efficiency, C++ enables developers to create high-performance applications crucial for environments where every millisecond can impact trading results. Its low-level memory control allows for precise management of system resources, ensuring both stability and responsiveness in financial systems. Additionally, C++ is supported by a comprehensive suite of libraries designed for complex financial operations, making it an ideal choice for developing secure and high-performing financial software.
Advantages of the C++ language in Financial Software
| C++ Property | How it compares to other languages used in finance |
| Lower level language: C++ code compiles into highly efficient machine-like code, providing real-time processing capabilities and scalability. | Faster than interpreted languages like Python or JavaScript, which are unsuitable for real-time performance requirements. |
| Speed and performance:Handles intensive computational tasks with minimal overhead, making it ideal for high-performance applications. | Similarly popular in finance programming, Python offers simplicity and faster development cycles. However, it lacks the execution speed needed for high-performance financial software. |
| Embedded-Specific Support: (e.g., no-exception builds) allows you to disable certain features (like exceptions) to minimize overhead. | Languages like Java have less flexibility in trimming down features for embedded use. |
| Scalability and processing power: Can accommodate increasing volumes of data and transactions, a necessity in a growing financial sector. | Java strikes a balance between usability and performance but cannot match the raw processing power and system control that C++ provides. |
Section 3: The challenges for C++ programmers developing embedded systems
In the high-stakes world of financial systems, performance optimization is not merely an option but a critical necessity. Financial applications, such as high-frequency trading platforms and real-time risk management systems, operate under intense performance constraints where even the smallest delay can have significant repercussions. As a result, C++ developers are tasked with continuously fine-tuning their code to meet performance requirements.
One of the primary challenges in this optimization process is managing memory. C++ provides low-level control over memory allocation, which allows for precise performance tuning but also demands that developers manually handle memory management. This responsibility includes careful allocation and deallocation to prevent memory leaks and ensure efficient resource utilization.
Additionally, reducing latency is crucial in financial applications where timely processing of data and execution of trades are essential. Developers must implement strategies to minimize latency, which involves optimizing algorithms, data structures, and reducing the impact of I/O operations. Productivity enhancing tools such as Visual Assist C++ that simplify refactoring help here immensely as they can help spot unnecessary elements—more on helpful tools later.
Maintaining code quality while optimizing performance presents another challenge. Performance enhancements often require low-level changes to the code, which can complicate readability and maintainability. Balancing the need for high performance with the necessity of keeping the codebase understandable and manageable is a continuous struggle for C++ developers working in the finance sector.
Readability is an often underestimated facet of development. Embedded code can often be hard to read, or drop from C++ to lower-level C. For instance, when accessing IO pins on an embedded device via a cable plugged into “general purpose IO pins” (GPIO) you have to use the base-level language that can communicate with the hardware itself. At that point, it’s key to have tooling that helps you understand and verify your code when you run it back from higher and lower abstraction between languages.
As simple as possible: C++ vs Embedded C++
When discussing C++ versus Embedded C++, it’s essential to understand that while they share a common language foundation, the environments in which they are applied significantly influence the design, usage, and constraints of these two variants.
The main difference with C++ in embedded systems is that it has to be more efficient because devices often have limited memory and processing power. Embedded C++ also involves directly controlling hardware, like sensors and processors, which isn’t as common in traditional C++. Finally, some C++ features, like dynamic memory management, are used less or even avoided entirely in embedded systems to avoid performance issues. Rather than using the standard STL, it’s common to use other libraries tailored for embedded use, like the ETL.
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Memory management and constraints
C++ on a desktop or server system operates in a much more forgiving environment. It has access to extensive memory, high processing power, and can rely on an operating system for memory management and multitasking. In contrast, Embedded C++ targets microcontrollers or other resource-constrained devices, where memory (both RAM and flash) is limited, and there may not be an operating system at all.
For instance, in an embedded system, dynamic memory allocation using new and delete can be risky due to fragmentation, leading to memory exhaustion over time. Many embedded systems developers avoid heap allocation entirely, preferring static or stack allocation, or using custom memory management techniques tailored to the system’s constraints.
Some devices such as ATMs or POS systems need a small amount of flash memory, a form of non-volatile memory, to keep a small database. For example, some systems need to keep the past 24 hours of transactions on the system itself as a backup for when the bank network has gone down unexpectedly. For these cases, reliable memory-efficient libraries for compression and embedded databases are used.
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Performance and real-time requirements
Another significant difference arises in performance and real-time behavior. In standard C++ applications, performance is still important, but not necessarily tied to hard real-time requirements.
In contrast, embedded systems often have strict timing constraints, and code must execute within a specific time frame to meet system requirements. This demands careful optimization and the avoidance of certain C++ abstractions that can introduce unpredictable execution times.
For example, C++ standard library features like the Standard Template Library (STL) may not be suitable for embedded environments. Functions like std::vector or std::map can introduce hidden memory allocations and performance overhead, which can be detrimental in a real-time system.
As a result, embedded C++ developers often resort to using lightweight custom libraries or writing their own data structures optimized for their specific hardware. You can use libraries like the embedded template library that provides STL-like functionality intended for embedded devices. You can also search this list of libraries from Github user “fffaraz” using the search term “embedded” for more resources specific to embedded systems.
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Hardware Interfacing
Embedded systems often require precise control over hardware peripherals, like I/O pins, timers, or communication interfaces. This entails hardware-specific code, where developers directly manipulate memory-mapped registers to control the device.
In standard C++, you rarely deal with such low-level hardware specifics. Embedded C++ developers, however, often need to interact directly with hardware registers and bit manipulation, as shown in the examples with the ATM or POS systems. This introduces a level of complexity not typically found in standard desktop or server C++ development.
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Debugging Challenges
Due to the very embedded nature of embedded systems, debugging is inherently more complex due to the lack of typical debugging resources available in standard C++ environments. Desktop developers can rely on sophisticated debuggers, full IDEs, and graphical interfaces to step through code, inspect memory, and trace program execution. In contrast, embedded developers often work without these luxuries.
Debugging tools may be limited to physical devices that plug into the circuitry, or maybe testers and emulators that merely simulate the device. The best case scenarios will involve some form of rudimentary debugging tool integrated into the device. But for the most part, it will still be a step down from traditional C++ debugging.
Section 4: Pro tips for C++ developers for embedded systems
If you’re a novice developer or an intermediate C++ developer that’s looking to specialize as a embedded software developer, here are a couple of core competencies and guiding ideas that you can study, arranged in order of importance:
- Understand the embedded systems basics
Understanding the fundamentals of embedded systems and how they differ from general computing.- What are embedded systems? (Microcontrollers, sensors, actuators, etc.)
- Key differences between embedded and traditional software development.
- Real-time systems and their importance.
Recommended read/watch: “Introduction to Embedded Systems” by Jonathan Valvano (Textbook).
- C++ for Embedded Systems
Learning how C++ is used in resource-constrained environments.- Writing memory-efficient and performance-critical code.
- Avoiding dynamic memory allocation (heap vs stack).
- Using low-level hardware interfaces (registers, ports, etc.).
Recommended read/watch: “Embedded: Customizing Dynamic Memory Management in C++” by Ben Saks in CppCon 2020.
- Learning Microcontrollers
Gain practical experience with microcontrollers, one of the basic programmable elements in embedded development environments.- Introduction to microcontrollers (e.g., ARM Cortex, AVR, ESP32).
- Setting up a development environment (IDE, toolchains).
- Flashing code to the microcontroller.
Recommended read/watch: “C++ For Microcontrollers – Introduction” by Mikey’s Lab
- Optimization and Power Management
Learn how to optimize embedded C++ code for performance and power consumption.- Code optimization techniques (e.g., loop unrolling, inline functions).
- Power-saving modes in microcontrollers.
- Balancing performance and power consumption.
Recommended read/watch: “Introduction to Embedded Systems” by Jonathan Valvano (Textbook).
- Debugging Techniques for Embedded Systems
Get a proper introduction to the debugging techniques specific to embedded development.- Using in-circuit debuggers (ICDs) and logic analyzers.
- Setting breakpoints, watching variables, and stepping through code.
- Dealing with hardware-software integration bugs.
Recommended read/watch: Variety of courses from Feabhas
Visual Studio as the Go-To IDE
In embedded systems C++ development, a few IDEs stand out for their ability to handle high-performance applications. CLion by JetBrains is popular for its strong code analysis and integration with CMake, supporting multi-platform projects. Its tools for memory profiling and real-time inspections are especially useful in financial software, where precision is key.
Eclipse CDT offers flexibility and powerful debugging features, with support for plugins and external tools like GDB. Its open-source nature makes it a cost-effective choice for developers aiming to optimize performance.
However, Visual Studio is the industry’s top choice, thanks to its advanced debugging tools like breakpoints and call stack analysis, essential for resolving issues in complex financial applications. For custom hardware, it’s common to only get Visual Studio support. It also offers code analysis, performance profiling, and cross-platform support, including Linux. These features make Visual Studio a comprehensive and scalable option, ideal for financial developers seeking reliability across multiple platforms.
Enhancing Productivity with Visual Assist
For C++ developers working in finance, Visual Assist is an indispensable extension that significantly enhances productivity. This powerful tool integrates seamlessly with Visual Studio, offering a range of features designed to make coding faster and more efficient.
A practical example of how Visual Assist can accelerate development is its Convert Pointer to Instance refactoring feature. In financial applications, optimizing memory usage is critical. This feature allows developers to easily convert heap-allocated pointers to stack-allocated instances, which can enhance performance and reduce memory overhead. By simplifying these refactoring tasks, Visual Assist helps developers focus on implementing and refining the core functionalities of their financial software.
In summary, Visual Studio combined with Visual Assist provides a powerful toolkit for C++ developers in the finance industry, enhancing both the development experience and the quality of the final product.
Section 5: The Future of C++ in Embedded Systems for Finance
Emerging Trends
The integration of embedded systems into financial applications is becoming increasingly prevalent, driven by advancements in technology and the growing need for real-time data processing and enhanced security. Embedded systems, such as Internet of Things (IoT) devices and advanced security systems, are playing a crucial role in modern financial infrastructure. For example, IoT devices can provide real-time analytics and monitoring for financial transactions, while sophisticated security systems use embedded technology to protect sensitive data and prevent fraud.
C++ is well-positioned to adapt to these emerging trends due to its versatility and efficiency. As embedded systems become more integral to financial applications, C++ continues to offer the performance and control needed to develop robust solutions. The language’s ability to interface directly with hardware and manage resources at a low level makes it ideal for embedded development, where precision and efficiency are paramount. Additionally, C++ is evolving to support new standards and libraries that enhance its capabilities for embedded applications, ensuring that it remains a key language in the financial sector’s future.
Preparing for the Future
To stay ahead in the field of C++ development for embedded systems, it is essential to engage in continuous learning and stay abreast of technological advancements. The financial sector is rapidly evolving, and developers must be proactive in acquiring new skills and knowledge to remain competitive. This includes familiarizing oneself with the latest developments in embedded systems, such as new IoT protocols and security technologies, as well as advancements in C++ standards and tools.
Leveraging new tools and technologies can also significantly impact productivity and reduce stress in high-pressure environments. For instance, adopting modern IDEs and development environments that offer powerful debugging, profiling, and refactoring capabilities can streamline the development process and help manage the complexities of embedded systems. Tools that automate routine tasks and provide advanced code analysis can save valuable time and reduce the cognitive load on developers, allowing them to focus on more strategic aspects of their work.
In summary, the future of C++ in embedded systems for finance looks promising, driven by the increasing integration of advanced technologies and the language’s continued evolution. By staying informed about emerging trends and adopting tools that enhance efficiency and reduce stress, C++ developers can position themselves for success in this dynamic and evolving field.
Conclusion
In this blog, we’ve explored the pivotal role of C++ in the development of financial software and embedded systems, highlighting its unmatched performance, reliability, and efficiency. We discussed how C++ meets the rigorous demands of financial applications by offering precise control over system resources and supporting complex, high-performance operations. Additionally, we examined the common challenges faced by developers, such as performance optimization and debugging, and how tools like Visual Studio and Visual Assist can alleviate these difficulties.
As financial systems continue to evolve and embedded systems become more integrated, C++ remains a critical language due to its adaptability and powerful capabilities. The language’s ability to deliver real-time processing and manage resources efficiently ensures its continued relevance in the financial sector.
We encourage readers to explore the benefits of Visual Studio and Visual Assist to enhance their development process. By leveraging these tools, developers can streamline their workflows, improve code quality, and handle the complexities of high-performance financial software more effectively. Embracing these technologies will not only improve development efficiency but also contribute to the creation of robust and reliable financial systems.