Type qualifier

In the C, C++, and D programming languages, a type qualifier is a keyword that is applied to a type, resulting in a qualified type. For example, const int is a qualified type representing a constant integer, while int is the corresponding unqualified type, simply an integer. In D these are known as type constructors, by analogy with constructors in object-oriented programming.

Type qualifiers are a way of expressing additional information about a value through the type system, and ensuring correctness in the use of the data. Type qualifiers are not generally used outside the C/C++ family of languages: many languages have a notation of constants, but express this by the name binding being constant (a "variable that doesn't vary"), rather than through the type system; see alternatives, below.