C Run-Time Libraries in Visual C++

Every Visual C++ project is linked with a C run-time library. This is called the CRT in Microsoft literature.

• Single threaded CRT: This can only be statically linked. This CRT is used if one of the compiler options /ML or /MLd is specified. It would be linked with libc.lib or libcd.lib respectively for Release and Debug modes. The single-threaded CRT is completely deprecated and should not be used! :x

• Multi-threaded CRT: This is the default kind of CRT and should be used always.

The type of linking (static or dynamic) and the configuration (Release or Debug), lead to 4 kinds of multi-threaded CRT:

• Release mode and statically linked: Specified using the compiler option /MT. The library file used is libcmt.lib.

• Debug mode and statically linked: Specified using the compiler option /MTd. The library file used is libcmtd.lib.

• Release mode and dynamically linked: Specified using the compiler option /MD. The library file used is msvcrt.lib and the DLL file used at run-time is msvcr100.dll (depends on Visual C++ version).

• Debug mode and dynamically linked: Specified using the compiler option /MDd. The library file used is msvcrtd.lib and the DLL file used at run-time is msvcr100d.dll (depends on Visual C++ version).

Reference: C Run-Time Libraries at MSDN.