Unwinding the Stack: Exploring How C++ Exceptions Work on Windows
summary
Shows exactly how Visual C++ turns throw into a structured exception: the runtime calls CxxThrowException with throw info and an exception object, the common handler (CxxFrameHandler/except_handler3) uses function metadata to pick a catch, calls RtlUnwind for global unwind and then local cleanup, and on x64 the OS looks up per-function records in .pdata so zero-cost unwinding is possible and noexcept triggers immediate terminate.
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chapters (12)
- 0:00Introduction to exceptions
- 1:29Structured exceptions
- 6:37The SEH mechanism
- 9:00Implementing manual handlers
- 12:41Compiler extensions
- 20:05SEH under the hood
- 26:21Exception handler mechanics
- 28:28Unwinding the stack
- 37:59Custom exceptions and C++
- 39:56C++ exception architecture
- 45:56Catching and cleanup
- 51:58Architecture and history
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