GoConceptBeginner · 3 min read

What is Address Operator in Go: Simple Explanation and Example

In Go, the & symbol is called the address operator. It is used to get the memory address of a variable, which means it tells you where the variable is stored in the computer's memory.

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How It Works

The address operator & in Go works like a pointer to a house address. Imagine you have a friend’s house, and you want to send a letter. Instead of sending the letter directly to your friend, you send it to their house address. Similarly, the & operator gives you the "address" of a variable in memory, not the value itself.

This is useful because sometimes you want to work with the location of data rather than the data itself. When you use & before a variable, Go returns a pointer, which is a special value that holds the memory address of that variable.

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Example

This example shows how to use the address operator to get the memory address of a variable and print it.

package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    x := 42
    p := &x // p holds the address of x

    fmt.Println("Value of x:", x)
    fmt.Println("Address of x:", p)
    fmt.Println("Value at address p:", *p) // *p gets the value stored at the address
}

Output

Value of x: 42 Address of x: 0xc0000140b0 Value at address p: 42

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When to Use

You use the address operator when you want to work with pointers in Go. This is helpful when you want to:

Change the value of a variable inside a function without returning it.
Save memory by passing the address instead of copying large data.
Work with data structures like linked lists or trees that rely on pointers.

For example, if you want a function to modify a variable you pass to it, you pass the variable's address using &. The function can then use the pointer to change the original variable.

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Key Points

The & operator gets the memory address of a variable.
It returns a pointer, which stores that address.
Use pointers to modify variables inside functions or to optimize memory.
To get the value from a pointer, use the * operator (dereferencing).

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Key Takeaways

The address operator & gives you the memory address of a variable in Go.

Pointers store these addresses and allow indirect access to variable values.

Use & when you want to pass variables by reference to functions.

Dereference pointers with * to read or change the value at that address.

Pointers help with memory efficiency and modifying data across functions.