Inside STL: Understanding the Implementation of std::string in C++

The article provides an in-depth look into the implementation of std::string in C++. Contrary to popular belief, std::string is not simply a vector of characters internally. The article explains that std::string is organized differently, allowing for specific optimizations that are not possible with vectors. The starting point for a std::basic_string is a pointer to the beginning of the string contents, along with the size and capacity of the string. The article also introduces the concept of the small string optimization, which allows for a small buffer to be allocated inside the std::basic_string for short strings, avoiding any heap allocations. The article highlights the different approaches taken by major implementations of the C++ standard library, such as gcc's overlaying of the capacity with the internal buffer. This information is crucial for developers working with C++ and wanting to understand the inner workings of std::string.