exit() in c++

The exit() function in C++ is used to terminate the program execution and return control to the operating system. It is defined in the <cstdlib> header file.

Here is a step-by-step explanation of the exit() function:

1. When the exit() function is called, it stops the program execution immediately and performs some cleanup operations.

2. Any functions registered with the atexit() function will be called in reverse order of their registration. The atexit() function is used to register functions that are called when the program exits normally.

3. All open files are closed and any buffers associated with them are flushed.

4. Any temporary files created by the program are deleted.

5. The program returns an exit status to the operating system. This status indicates whether the program terminated successfully or encountered an error. By convention, a return value of 0 indicates successful termination, while a non-zero value indicates an error.

6. Control is returned to the operating system, which may perform any necessary cleanup and handle the termination of the program.

Note: The use of exit() should be limited to cases where immediate termination of the program is required. In most cases, it is better to use proper program control flow and return from the main function to terminate the program gracefully.