C++26: Standard Library Hardening Experiments
Summary
C++26: Standard Library Hardening Experiments introduces the concept of hardened preconditions for the C++ standard library, showing how certain operations can trigger contract violations instead of silent undefined behavior. It explains how to enable hardening across GCC, Clang, and MSVC, and surveys which library components are affected, stressing that this is an evolving, vendor-driven effort. The article emphasizes that hardening complements, rather than replaces, sanitizers and good API design, and discusses runtime implications and real-world bugs beyond vectors.