A pointer is a data type that holds the address of another data type. A pointer itself is a variable that points to any other variable. It can be of type int, char, array, function, or even any other pointer. Pointers in C++ are defined using the * (asterisk) operator.

The & (ampersand) operator is called the 'address of' operator, and the * (asterisk) operator is called the 'value at' dereference operator.

Applications of a Pointer

• Pointers are used to dynamically allocate or deallocate memory.
• Pointers are used to point to several containers such as arrays, or structs, and also for passing addresses of containers to functions.
• Return multiple values from a function.
• Rather than passing a copy of a container to a function, we can simply pass its pointer. This helps reduce the memory usage of the program.
• Pointers reduce the code and improve performance.