Difference between 'struct' and 'typedef struct' in C++?

Abstraction: C and C++ struct versus typedef struct namespace differences

Key points:

• In C, struct names live in a separate tag namespace; you must write struct Foo x unless you typedef it, but in C++ struct/class/union names act as implicit typedefs.
• typedef struct { ... } Foo creates an anonymous struct with only a typedef-namespace name and cannot be forward-declared; typedef struct Foo { ... } Foo gives both a tag and an alias.
• Anonymous typedef structs do not support inline member initializers in some compilers; named structs do.
• In C++, a function or object with the same name and scope hides the tag name; adding a typedef makes such shadowing a compile-time error rather than a silent bug.
• Linux kernel coding style explicitly avoids typedef-ing structs to keep type identity visible at the call site.
• Forward declarations require a tag name; typedef-only structs cannot be forward-declared, increasing header coupling.

Connections: Stackoverflow · C Type System · Typedef

Source: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/612328/difference-between-struct-and-typedef-struct-in-c