C++ types

Question 1

what is a std::shared_ptr?

Answer 1

A pointer that has (possibly shared) ownership of a n object. If the (last) shared pointer is deleted or goes out of scope, so is the object

Question 2

should you use const std::string or const char*?

Answer 2

std::string, because it is better and can be converted to const char* if needed through c_str()