#12 Golang pointer | Is it similar to c and c++ pointers? | Why Golang has pointer?

Pointers in Go (Golang) are essential for several reasons, primarily related to performance and control over memory management. Here are some key reasons why pointers are needed in Go:

Efficiency: Passing large structs by value can be inefficient because it involves copying the entire struct. Using pointers allows you to pass the reference to the struct, avoiding the overhead of copying and improving performance.

Mutability: When you pass a value to a function, Go creates a copy of that value. If you want a function to modify the original value, you need to pass a pointer to that value. This allows the function to directly access and modify the original variable.

Nil Values: Pointers can be nil, representing the absence of a value. This can be useful for optional parameters or indicating an uninitialized or missing value.

Interfacing with C Code: When using Go's cgo package to interface with C code, pointers are often required to pass data between Go and C.

Data Structures: Pointers are fundamental for implementing data structures such as linked lists, trees, and graphs, where elements need to reference other elements dynamically. #golang #golanguage #golangtutorial