Code Coverage with gcov

Code coverage measures which lines and branches of your code are executed by tests. Gcov instruments C/C++ binaries during compilation with --coverage flags, then generates reports showing covered and uncovered code paths, helping teams identify untested logic.

Add --coverage flags to both CFLAGS and LDFLAGS during compilation with gcc or clang. When you run the instrumented program, it produces .gcda and .gcno files. Run gcov on source files to generate per-file reports, or gcovr to create aggregate HTML reports.

Yes, gcov supports both CMake and Makefile-based builds. Set compiler flags (--coverage) in your build configuration, compile and run tests to generate coverage data, then invoke gcov or gcovr to produce reports. The standard C/C++ toolchain (gcc, clang, gcovr) handles the instrumentation.

You need a C/C++ toolchain including gcc or clang, gcov, and gcovr installed. Compile with --coverage flags, run your test suite to populate .gcda files, then use gcov for per-file reports or gcovr for aggregated HTML coverage dashboards.

Yes, gcov captures line coverage and branch coverage data. The .gcda files track which code paths executed; gcov and gcovr reports display both metrics, letting teams identify untested conditional branches and improve test completeness across the codebase.