What's the best way to pass big data into C# functions?

Question

Basically, I have a very large byte[] and a class of helper functions.

Am I right in thinking if I call Helpers.HelperFunc(mybigbytearray), mybigbytearray will be duplicated in memory?

If so, what's the best way to give a big variable to a function (pointers look good but is making the helper functions unsafe wise? Would the garbage collector still work?)

Answer 1

Arrays, like other objects in C#, are passed by reference, thus no data inside the array will be duplicated; the function you pass the array to will have a reference to the original array.

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From Arrays as Objects (C# Programming Guide)

In C#, arrays are actually objects, and not just addressable regions of contiguous memory as in C and C++. System.Array is the abstract base type of all array types.

and Passing Arrays as Arguments (C# Programming Guide)

Arrays can be passed as arguments to method parameters. Because arrays are reference types, the method can change the value of the elements.