The difference between references and pointers in the C language

1 year ago
Isabella Edwards
1 minute

In the C language, both references and pointers are used to indirectly access variables, but there are some differences.

  1. Definition method: References are declared using the & symbol, while pointers are declared using the * symbol. For example:
int a = 5;
int &ref = a; // 引用
int *ptr = &a; // 指针
  1. Memory usage: References do not occupy additional memory space, whereas pointers use 4 or 8 bytes of memory space (depending on the system’s word length).
  2. Null value: Pointers can be empty (NULL), while references must always point to an object.
  3. Mutability: Pointers can be reassigned to point to other objects, whereas references cannot be changed once they are bound to an object.
  4. Usage restriction: Pointers can be utilized for low-level operations such as pointer arithmetic and array manipulation, whereas references cannot perform these actions.
  5. Safety: It is important to perform a null check before using a pointer to avoid errors caused by null pointers, whereas references do not have this issue.

In general, references are easier to use and safer, while pointers are more flexible and low-level. In practice, you can choose to use references or pointers based on specific needs.

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