{"id":3055,"date":"2024-03-13T05:48:28","date_gmt":"2024-03-13T05:48:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-way-c-language-passes-arguments-between-actual-parameters-and-formal-parameters\/"},"modified":"2025-07-27T02:37:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T02:37:08","slug":"what-is-the-way-c-language-passes-arguments-between-actual-parameters-and-formal-parameters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-way-c-language-passes-arguments-between-actual-parameters-and-formal-parameters\/","title":{"rendered":"C Language: Mastering Argument Passing &#8211; Call by Value &#038; Call by Reference"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the C language, there are two ways to pass arguments to parameters: by value and by address.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Passing by value: When a function is called, a copy of the actual parameter&#8217;s value is passed to the formal parameter. The operations on the formal parameter inside the function will not affect the value of the actual parameter. This passing method is suitable for basic data types (such as int, char, etc.) as well as smaller data types like structures and arrays.<\/li>\n<li>Pass by reference: When a function is called, the address of the actual parameter is passed, and any operations on the formal parameter inside the function will directly affect the value of the actual parameter. This passing method is suitable for large data structures, dynamic memory allocation, etc., as it can reduce the overhead of copying data and improve the efficiency of the program.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the C language, there are two ways to pass arguments to parameters: by value and by address. Passing by value: When a function is called, a copy of the actual parameter&#8217;s value is passed to the formal parameter. The operations on the formal parameter inside the function will not affect the value of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_import_markdown_pro_load_document_selector":0,"_import_markdown_pro_submit_text_textarea":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[416,331,381,418,417,419,481,470,328,420,372,480,299],"class_list":["post-3055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-argument-passing","tag-c-language","tag-c-programming","tag-call-by-reference","tag-call-by-value","tag-function-arguments","tag-function-parameters","tag-functions","tag-memory-management","tag-parameter-passing","tag-pointers","tag-pointers-in-c","tag-programming"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.5 (Yoast SEO v21.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>C Language: Mastering Argument Passing - Call by Value &amp; Call by Reference - Silicon Cloud<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Master argument passing in C language with this comprehensive guide. Learn the differences between call by value and call by reference, and optimize your C programming skills.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-way-c-language-passes-arguments-between-actual-parameters-and-formal-parameters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"C Language: Mastering Argument Passing - Call by Value &amp; Call by Reference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Master argument passing in C language with this comprehensive guide. Learn the differences between call by value and call by reference, and optimize your C programming skills.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-way-c-language-passes-arguments-between-actual-parameters-and-formal-parameters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog - Silicon Cloud\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SiliCloudGlobal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-13T05:48:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-27T02:37:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Noah Thompson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SiliCloudGlobal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SiliCloudGlobal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Noah Thompson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-way-c-language-passes-arguments-between-actual-parameters-and-formal-parameters\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-way-c-language-passes-arguments-between-actual-parameters-and-formal-parameters\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Noah Thompson\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2e83cc6ab9f60d36921c2d0f9f280f4a\"},\"headline\":\"C Language: Mastering Argument Passing &#8211; Call by Value &#038; Call by Reference\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-13T05:48:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-27T02:37:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-way-c-language-passes-arguments-between-actual-parameters-and-formal-parameters\/\"},\"wordCount\":158,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"argument passing\",\"C Language\",\"C++ Programming\",\"call by reference\",\"call by value\",\"function arguments\",\"function parameters\",\"Functions\",\"memory management\",\"parameter passing\",\"Pointers\",\"pointers in C\",\"programming\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-way-c-language-passes-arguments-between-actual-parameters-and-formal-parameters\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-way-c-language-passes-arguments-between-actual-parameters-and-formal-parameters\/\",\"name\":\"C Language: Mastering Argument Passing - Call by Value & Call by Reference - Silicon Cloud\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-13T05:48:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-27T02:37:08+00:00\",\"description\":\"Master argument passing in C language with this comprehensive guide. 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