# Pointer



Go has pointers. A pointer holds the memory address of a value.

The type``` *T``` is a pointer to a ```T``` value. Its zero value is nil.

```var p *int```
The & operator generates a pointer to its operand.
```
i := 42
p = &i
```
The ```*``` operator denotes the pointer's underlying value.
```
fmt.Println(*p) // read i through the pointer p
*p = 21         // set i through the pointer p

```
This is known as "dereferencing" or "indirecting".

Unlike C, Go has no pointer arithmetic.

```
package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
	i, j := 42, 2701

	p := &i         // point to i
	fmt.Println(*p) // read i through the pointer
	*p = 21         // set i through the pointer
	fmt.Println(i)  // see the new value of i

	p = &j         // point to j
	*p = *p / 37   // divide j through the pointer
	fmt.Println(j) // see the new value of j
}
```
[Go Playground](https://play.golang.org/p/6ex5tqolgF5)