using `napi_get_last_error_info`. More information can be found in the error

handling section [Error handling][].

## Writing addons in various programming languages

Node-API is a C API that ensures ABI stability across Node.js versions

and different compiler levels. A C++ API can be easier to use.

To support using C++, the project maintains a

C++ wrapper module called [`node-addon-api`][].

This wrapper provides an inlinable C++ API. Binaries built

with `node-addon-api` will depend on the symbols for the Node-API C-based

functions exported by Node.js. `node-addon-api` is a more

efficient way to write code that calls Node-API. Take, for example, the

following `node-addon-api` code. The first section shows the

`node-addon-api` code and the second section shows what actually gets

used in the addon.

and different compiler levels. With this stability guarantee, it is possible

to write addons in other programming languages on top of Node-API. Refer

to [language and engine bindings][] for more programming languages and engines

support details.

[`node-addon-api`][] is the official C++ binding that provides a more efficient way to

write C++ code that calls Node-API. This wrapper is a header-only library that offers an inlinable C++ API.

Binaries built with `node-addon-api` will depend on the symbols of the Node-API

C-based functions exported by Node.js. The following code snippet is an example

of `node-addon-api`:

```cpp

Object obj = Object::New(env);

obj["foo"] = String::New(env, "bar");

```

The above `node-addon-api` C++ code is equivalent to the following C-based

Node-API code:

```cpp

napi_status status;

napi_value object, string;

}

```

The end result is that the addon only uses the exported C APIs. As a result,

it still gets the benefits of the ABI stability provided by the C API.

The end result is that the addon only uses the exported C APIs. Even though

the addon is written in C++, it still gets the benefits of the ABI stability

provided by the C Node-API.

When using `node-addon-api` instead of the C APIs, start with the API [docs][]

for `node-addon-api`.

[externals]: #napi_create_external

[global scope]: globals.md

[gyp-next]: https://github.com/nodejs/gyp-next

[language and engine bindings]: https://github.com/nodejs/abi-stable-node/blob/doc/node-api-engine-bindings.md

[module scope]: modules.md#the-module-scope

[node-gyp]: https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp

[node-pre-gyp]: https://github.com/mapbox/node-pre-gyp