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The Boost C++ Libraries are open source, peer-reviewed, portable and free

Created by experts to be reliable, skillfully-designed, and well-tested.

Boost Mission
  • development of high quality, expert reviewed, legally unencumbered, open-source libraries,
  • inspiring standard enhancements, and
  • advancing and disseminating software development best practices.

It does this by fostering community engagement, nurturing leaders, providing necessary financial/legal support, and making directional decisions in the event of Boost community deadlock.

Equally important to our mission is the guidance provided by our shared values. These are transparency, inclusivity, consensus-building, federated authorship, and community-driven leadership.

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Why Use Boost?   In a word, Productivity. Use of high-quality libraries like Boost speeds initial development, results in fewer bugs, reduces reinvention-of-the-wheel, and cuts long-term maintenance costs. And since Boost libraries tend to become de facto or de jure standards, many programmers are already familiar with them.

schedule of events

February 2025

Feb. 19, 2025: Boost 1.88.0 closed for new libraries and breaking changes
Release branch is closed for new libraries and breaking changes to existing libraries. Still open for bug fixes and other routine changes to all libraries without release manager review.
Feb. 26, 2025: Boost 1.88.0 closed for major changes
Release closed for major code changes. Still open for serious problem fixes and docs changes without release manager review.

March 2025

March 5, 2025: Boost 1.88.0 closed for beta
Release closed for all changes
March 12, 2025: Boost 1.88.0 beta
Beta posted for download.
March 13, 2025: Boost 1.88.0 open for bug fixes
Release open for bug fixes and documentation updates. Other changes by permission of a release manager.

April 2025

April 2, 2025: Boost 1.88.0 closed
Release closed for all changes
April 9, 2025: Boost 1.88.0 release
Release posted for download.

June 2025

June 25, 2025: Boost 1.89.0 closed for new libraries and breaking changes
Release branch is closed for new libraries and breaking changes to existing libraries. Still open for bug fixes and other routine changes to all libraries without release manager review.

July 2025

July 2, 2025: Boost 1.89.0 closed for major changes
Release closed for major code changes. Still open for serious problem fixes and docs changes without release manager review.
July 9, 2025: Boost 1.89.0 closed for beta
Release closed for all changes
July 16, 2025: Boost 1.89.0 beta
Beta posted for download.
July 17, 2025: Boost 1.89.0 open for bug fixes
Release open for bug fixes and documentation updates. Other changes by permission of a release manager.

August 2025

Aug. 6, 2025: Boost 1.89.0 closed
Release closed for all changes
Aug. 13, 2025: Boost 1.89.0 release
Release posted for download.

October 2025

Oct. 22, 2025: Boost 1.90.0 closed for new libraries and breaking changes
Release branch is closed for new libraries and breaking changes to existing libraries. Still open for bug fixes and other routine changes to all libraries without release manager review.
Oct. 29, 2025: Boost 1.90.0 closed for major changes
Release closed for major code changes. Still open for serious problem fixes and docs changes without release manager review.

November 2025

Nov. 5, 2025: Boost 1.90.0 closed for beta
Release closed for all changes
Nov. 12, 2025: Boost 1.90.0 beta
Beta posted for download.
Nov. 13, 2025: Boost 1.90.0 open for bug fixes
Release open for bug fixes and documentation updates. Other changes by permission of a release manager.

December 2025

Dec. 3, 2025: Boost 1.90.0 closed
Release closed for all changes
Dec. 10, 2025: Boost 1.90.0 release
Release posted for download.
library spotlight

Utility

Various utilities, such as base-from-member idiom and binary literals in C++03.

Added in 1.16.1

Dave Abrahams and others
recent news

Advancing MrDocs: Contributions to Boost in 2024

Posted on Jan 10th, 2025 by Alan de Freitas

Doc Previews Revisited Q4 2024

Posted on Jan 10th, 2025 by Sam Darwin

Another New Library Underway

Posted on Jan 10th, 2025 by Matt Borland