What's the Difference Between func(int &param) and func(int *param)?

Question

In the following code, both amp_swap() and star_swap() seems to be doing the same thing. So why will someone prefer to use one over the other? Which one is the preferred notation and why? Or is it just a matter of taste?

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

void amp_swap(int &x, int &y)
{
    int temp = x;
    x = y;
    y = temp;
}

void star_swap(int *x, int *y)
{
    int temp = *x;
    *x = *y;
    *y = temp;
}

int main()
{
    int a = 10, b = 20;
    cout << "Using amp_swap(): " << endl;
    amp_swap(a, b);
    cout << "a = " << a << ", b = " << b << endl;
    cout << "Using star_swap(): " << endl;
    star_swap(&a, &b);
    cout << "a = " << a << ", b = " << b << endl;
    return 0;
}

Thanks for your time!

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See Also

Difference between pointer variable and reference variable in C++

Answer 1

One is using a reference, one is using a pointer.

I would use the one with references, because you can't pass a NULL reference (whereas you can pass a NULL pointer).

So if you do:

star_swap(NULL, NULL);

Your application will crash. Whereas if you try:

amp_swap(NULL, NULL); // This won't compile

Always go with references unless you've got a good reason to use a pointer.

See this link: http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=references+vs+pointers