Call by Value vs Call by Reference in C/C++

Call by Value and Call by Reference are two ways of passing arguments to functions in C/C++.

Call by Value

In Call by Value, a copy of the argument is passed to the function. This means that any changes made to the parameter inside the function do not affect the original value outside the function.

Call by Reference

In Call by Reference, a reference to the argument is passed to the function. This allows the function to directly access and modify the original value of the argument outside the function.

Differences:

• In Call by Value, changes made to the parameter inside the function do not affect the original value. In Call by Reference, changes made to the parameter inside the function directly affect the original value.
• Call by Value creates a copy of the argument, while Call by Reference passes a reference to the argument.
• Call by Value is more secure as it prevents unintended modifications to the original value. Call by Reference can lead to unexpected side effects if not handled carefully.

Overall, the choice between Call by Value and Call by Reference depends on the specific requirements of the program and the desired behavior of the function.