What is the difference between a reference and a pointer in programming?

What is the difference between a reference and a pointer in programming?

In programming, a pointer is a variable that stores the memory address of another variable, while a reference is an alias for another variable.

Can you give me an example of how pointers work?

Sure! In C++, you can declare a pointer like this: int* ptr; and assign it the address of a variable using ptr = &var;.

What about references? How do they differ in usage?

References are declared using the & symbol, like int& ref = var;. They must be initialized when declared and cannot be null.

Are there any advantages to using references over pointers?

Yes, references are generally safer and easier to use since they cannot be null and do not require dereferencing.