What is the difference between deep copy and shallow copy in C++?

In C++, deep copy and shallow copy are two different ways to copy the contents of an object to another object.

Shallow Copy:

Shallow copy is a copy of the reference to the object, rather than a copy of the object itself. This means that if changes are made to the copied object, it will also affect the original object.

Deep Copy:

Deep copy, on the other hand, creates a new copy of the object and its contents. This means that changes made to the copied object will not affect the original object, as they are independent of each other.

In C++, you need to be careful when copying objects to ensure you are using the correct method - whether shallow copy or deep copy - depending on your requirements.