What is an unsigned char?

Question

In C/C++, what an unsigned char is used for? How is it different from a regular char?

Answer 1

signed char has range -128 to 127; unsigned char has range 0 to 255.

char will be equivalent to either signed char or unsigned char, depending on the compiler, but is a distinct type.

If you're using C-style strings, just use char. If you need to use chars for arithmetic (pretty rare), specify signed or unsigned explicitly for portability.