What is overloading and overriding methods in C++?

Method Overloading:

• Allows having multiple methods with the same name in one class.
• Differ by signature (number and/or types of parameters).
• The return type does not participate in the signature for overloading.
• The specific method is chosen by the compiler based on argument types at call time (static binding).

class MyClass {
public:
    void print(int a) {
        // Print integer
    }

    void print(double d) {
        // Print floating-point number
    }

    void print(int a, int b) {
        // Print two integers
    }
};

Method Overriding:

• Allows a derived class to provide a specific implementation of a method already defined in the base class.
• The method in the derived class must have the same signature (name, number, and types of parameters) and the same return type (or covariant return type).
• Used with virtual functions (virtual) to implement polymorphism.
• The specific implementation is determined at runtime (dynamic binding), depending on the actual object type.

class Base {
public:
    virtual void display() {
        // Implementation in base class
    }
};

class Derived : public Base {
public:
    void display() override { // The override keyword (since C++11) helps avoid errors
        // Specific implementation in derived class
    }
};

Main differences:

Characteristic	Method Overloading	Method Overriding
Usage location	In one class	In base and derived classes
Method name	Same	Same
Method signature	Different	Same
Mechanism of choice	Static binding (compile-time)	Dynamic binding (runtime)
Used with	Regular functions	Virtual functions
Goal	Different actions for different types	Specific implementation in the inheritor