vector.h - Type-Safe Dynamic Arrays for C

A production-ready, macro-based vector library to generate type-safe dynamic arrays.

#include "vector.h"

/* Arguments are: vector name, func. prefix, and input type */
VECTOR_DECLARE(IntVector, int_vector, int)
VECTOR_DEFINE(IntVector, int_vector, int)

int main(void) {
	IntVector nums = {0};

	int_vector_push(&nums, 42);
	int_vector_push(&nums, 13);

	printf("First: %d\n", int_vector_get(&nums, 0));  /* 42 */
	printf("Size: %zu\n", VECTOR_SIZE(&nums));        /* 2 */

	int_vector_free(&nums);
	return 0;
}

Features

• Type-safe: Generate vectors for any type
• Portable: C89 compatible, tested on GCC/Clang/MSVC/ICX across x86/x86_64/ARM64
• Robust: Comprehensive bounds checking and memory management
• Configurable: Custom allocators, null-pointer policies
• Zero dependencies: Just standard C library

Quick Start

1. Include the header and declare your vector type:

/* my_vector.h */
#include "vector.h"
VECTOR_DECLARE(MyVector, my_vector, float)

2. Define the implementation (usually in a .c file):

#include "my_vector.h"
VECTOR_DEFINE(MyVector, my_vector, float)

3. Use it:

MyVector v = {0};
my_vector_push(&v, 3.14f);
my_vector_push(&v, 2.71f);

/* Fast iteration */
for (float *f = v.begin; f != v.end; f++) {
	printf("%.2f ", *f);
}

my_vector_free(&v);

Alternatively, if you plan to use your vector within a single file, you can do:

#include "vector.h"
VECTOR_DECLARE(MyVector, my_vector, float)
VECTOR_DEFINE(MyVector, my_vector, float)

API Overview

• VECTOR_SIZE(vec) - Get element count
• VECTOR_CAPACITY(vec) - Get allocated capacity
• vector_push(vec, value) - Append element (O(1) amortized)
• vector_pop(vec) - Remove and return last element
• vector_get(vec, idx) / vector_set(vec, idx, value) - Random access
• vector_insert(vec, idx, value) / vector_delete(vec, idx) - Insert/remove at index
• vector_clear(vec) - Remove all elements
• vector_free(vec) - Deallocate memory

Configuration

Define before including the library:

#define VECTOR_NO_PANIC_ON_NULL 1       /* Return silently on NULL instead of panic */
#define VECTOR_NO_PANIC_ON_OOB 1        /* Turns out-of-bounds access into no-ops instead of panic */
#define VECTOR_NO_PANIC_ON_OVERFLOW 1   /* Turns capacity overflow into no-ops instead of panic */
#define VECTOR_REALLOC my_realloc       /* Custom allocator */
#define VECTOR_FREE my_free             /* Custom deallocator */

Testing

mkdir build
cmake -S . -B build/ -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug
cd build
make test

Tests cover normal operation, edge cases, out-of-memory conditions, and null pointer handling.

Why vector.h Over stb_ds.h?

• Just as convenient: Both are single-header libraries
• Enhanced type safety: Unlike stb_ds.h, vector.h provides compile-time type checking
• Optimized iteration: vector.h uses the same iteration technique as std::vector, while stb_ds.h requires slower index calculations
• Safer memory management: vector.h avoids the undefined behavior that stb_ds.h uses to hide headers behind data
• Superior debugging experience: vector.h exposes its straightforward pointer-based internals, whereas stb_ds.h hides header data from debugging tools
• Robust error handling: vector.h fails fast with clear panic messages on out-of-bounds access, while stb_ds.h silently corrupts memory
• More permissive licensing: vector.h uses BSD0 (no attribution required, unlimited relicensing), which is less restrictive than stb_ds.h's MIT and more universal than its public domain option since the concept doesn't exist in some jurisdictions

Contribution

Contributors and library hackers should work on vector.in.h instead of vector.h. It is a version of the library with hardcoded types and function names. To generate the final library from it, run libgen.py.

License

This library is licensed under the BSD Zero license.