Reflection - C++'s Decade-Defining Rocket Engine

Watch this conference talk from CppCon 2025 where Herb Sutter explores C++'s groundbreaking compile-time reflection features coming in C++26, marking what he calls the most transformative turning point in the language's history. Discover how reflection gives C++ the ability to describe itself and generate code, providing the most powerful new engine for expressing efficient abstractions the language has ever had. Experience live compiler demonstrations showing what the initial C++26 reflection feature set can accomplish today, then jump ahead to preview future capabilities using Dan Katz's Clang extensions and Sutter's own cppfront reflection implementation. Learn how reflection can simplify C++'s future evolution by reducing the need for bespoke language features, allowing many to be expressed as reusable compile-time libraries that are faster to design, easier to test, and portable from day one. Explore how this technology might solve long-standing problems that have eluded the entire software industry in ways that benefit every programming language. Prepare to be amazed by the sheer volume of possibilities as Sutter demonstrates technique after technique, designed to fire up your imagination and inspire you to discover and develop this enormous new frontier in C++ programming.