What is the difference between a reference and a pointer in C++?

Point	Reference	Pointer
Must be initialized	Yes	No
Can be null	No	Yes
Can be changed to refer to another variable	No	Yes
Use	Like a normal variable	Needs * and ->
Size	Same as the object (alias)	Size of an address

#include <iostream>

int main() {
    int a = 1, b = 2;
    int& ref = a;
    int* ptr = &a;

    ref = 10;              // changes a
    *ptr += 5;             // changes a
    ptr = &b;              // a pointer can point somewhere else
    *ptr = 20;
    std::cout << a << ' ' << b << '\n';
}

See References and Pointers.

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