How to Create Pointer in Go: Syntax and Examples

In Go, you create a pointer by using the & operator to get the memory address of a variable. The pointer variable stores this address and is declared with an asterisk * before its type, like var p *int.

Syntax

To create a pointer in Go, declare a variable with an asterisk * before the type to indicate it holds a memory address. Use the & operator to get the address of a variable.

• Declaration: var p *int means p is a pointer to an integer.
• Address-of operator: &x gets the memory address of variable x.
• Dereferencing: *p accesses the value stored at the address p points to.

go

var p *int
var x int = 10
p = &x
// p now holds the address of x
// *p accesses the value 10

Example

This example shows how to create a pointer to an integer, change the value through the pointer, and print both the original and changed values.

go

package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    x := 42
    p := &x // p points to x

    fmt.Println("Original value of x:", x)
    fmt.Println("Pointer p holds address:", p)
    fmt.Println("Value via pointer *p:", *p)

    *p = 100 // change value of x through pointer

    fmt.Println("New value of x after *p = 100:", x)
}

Output

Original value of x: 42
Pointer p holds address: 0xc0000140b8
Value via pointer *p: 42
New value of x after *p = 100: 100

Common Pitfalls

Beginners often confuse pointers with values or forget to use the & operator to get an address. Another mistake is trying to dereference a nil pointer, which causes a runtime error.

Always initialize pointers before dereferencing.

go

package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    var p *int
    // fmt.Println(*p) // This will cause a panic: dereferencing nil pointer

    x := 5
    p = &x // Correct: assign address before dereferencing
    fmt.Println(*p) // prints 5
}

Output

5

Quick Reference

Concept	Syntax	Description
Pointer declaration	var p *int	Declares p as a pointer to an int
Get address	&x	Gets the memory address of variable x
Dereference pointer	*p	Accesses or changes the value at the address p points to
Assign pointer	p = &x	Assigns the address of x to pointer p
Nil pointer	var p *int	Pointer with no address assigned (nil)

Key Takeaways

Use & to get the address of a variable and * to declare or dereference a pointer.

Pointers store memory addresses, not the actual values.

Always initialize pointers before dereferencing to avoid runtime errors.

Changing a value through a pointer changes the original variable.

Nil pointers cause errors if dereferenced; always check or initialize.