Xcode is not a compiler

[TheDreamsWind]

I find it inconsistent that Xcode belong to the group of compilers on this site. I.e. it's definitely an IDE, not a compiler. Despite it's usually updated alongside Apple Clang, but you are not obliged to use Apple Clang at all with Xcode, and can specify completely different compiler in the project build options.

[cdervis]

Hi, you're correct. However, the site is designed to reflect the support of features as stated by the compiler vendors.
Apple specifies their C++ conformance in terms of Xcode versions.
When targeting Apple platforms, the question often is "which Xcode version do I have to install for xyz feature?", the specific version of Apple Clang has a lower importance in that case.

For people that are using Xcode and specifying another compiler such as normal Clang, the site also provides that information.
Please note that the "supported by" column does not necessarily list compilers, but toolchains.

Would your suggestion be to list Apple Clang instead of Xcode?

[TheDreamsWind]

Apple specifies their C++ conformance in terms of Xcode versions.

I believe that's rather a question to Apple. I'm frankly not sure if they mean that some specific version of Xcode was rolled out alongside with specific version of Apple Clang, which supports a feature, or it's actually some linting which they implemented. Either way to me it's rather source of confusion.
P.S. Also, the same is applicable to Microsoft Visual Studio feature support, yet the site refers to MSVC directly.

When targeting Apple platforms, the question often is "which Xcode version do I have to install for xyz feature?", the specific version of Apple Clang has a lower importance in that case.

I'm not a big expert in MacOS C++ development, but MacOS is still a Unix system, where GNU experience is applicable. I.e. I'm not even required to install Xcode to start developing there, VS Code + built-in compiler can suffice (IIRC, unlike MSVC, Apple Clang comes out of the box, without IDE), let alone you will have hard time installing an arbitrary Xcode version on MacOS as they drop support for various Xcode IDEs depending on which MacOS you have installed.

Would your suggestion be to list Apple Clang instead of Xcode?

Yes, I think it's more consistent in this case and aligned with how cppreference present the same content: https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/compiler_support.html

[cdervis]

I believe that's rather a question to Apple. I'm frankly not sure if they mean that some specific version of Xcode was rolled out alongside with specific version of Apple Clang, which supports a feature, or it's actually some linting which they implemented.

Apple pairs Apple Clang releases with Xcode releases and displaying the Xcode version is easier for users to understand, since that's what they're installing most of the time, especially when targeting Apple Platforms like iOS.

P.S. Also, the same is applicable to Microsoft Visual Studio feature support, yet the site refers to MSVC directly.

Yes, I thought about changing it to display the Visual Studio version instead, since that would be the more relevant information for developers I assume. We check the version of our toolchains / IDEs rather than the compiler's version. Think of how compilers and standard libraries are often bundled together under the same version (e.g. GCC 15 / libstdc++ 15).

I'm not a big expert in MacOS C++ development, but MacOS is still a Unix system, where GNU experience is applicable. I.e. I'm not even required to install Xcode to start developing there, VS Code + built-in compiler can suffice (IIRC, unlike MSVC, Apple Clang comes out of the box, without IDE)

Correct, however, people that use alternative toolchains on macOS are still able to gather the corresponding information from the site (i.e. GCC / Clang). Apple Clang is not included in macOS out of the box, but can be installed easily (xcode-select --install). But even then, you're specifying the Xcode version, not Apple Clang. That installs the Xcode command line tools, without the IDE.

If we were to change the site to display the Apple Clang version, I think a good compromise would be to display the corresponding Xcode version behind the info button, just like with MSVC (e.g. "It was released as part of Xcode 16.4.").

Thank you very much for your feedback, I'll think of a solution.