What Do the Asterisk (*) and Ampersand (&) Symbols Mean in Go?

Understanding the Mysterious Asterisk and Ampersand in Go

In Go, programmers often encounter the asterisk (*) and ampersand (&) symbols, and understanding their significance is crucial for writing effective code. Let's delve into what these special characters represent.

The Versatile Asterisk (*)

The asterisk, when used in conjunction with a type, such as *string, signifies a pointer to that type. Pointers in Go are akin to references in other languages and allow us to work with the underlying value indirectly.

When utilized in assignments (*v = ...), the asterisk denotes an indirect assignment. It assigns a value to the memory location pointed to by the variable v, effectively modifying the value being referenced.

On the other hand, when placed before a variable or expression, the asterisk acts as a pointer dereference. It retrieves the value stored in the memory location being pointed to by the variable or expression.

The Revealing Ampersand (&)

In contrast to the asterisk, which designates pointers, the ampersand functions as a reference operator. When used with variables or expressions, such as &v, the ampersand produces a reference to the original value. This process of creating a pointer directly corresponds to the memory location where the value resides.

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