In C++, what does & mean after a function's return type?

Question

In a C++ function like this:

int& getNumber();

what does the & mean? Is it different from:

int getNumb         


        

Answer 1

It's a reference, which is exactly like a pointer except you don't have to use a pointer-dereference operator (* or ->) with it, the pointer dereferencing is implied.

Especially note that all the lifetime concerns (such as don't return a stack variable by address) still need to be addressed just as if a pointer was used.