When to use references vs. pointers

Question

I understand the syntax and general semantics of pointers versus references, but how should I decide when it is more-or-less appropriate to use references or pointers in an

Answer 1

The performances are exactly the same, as references are implemented internally as pointers. Thus you do not need to worry about that.

There is no generally accepted convention regarding when to use references and pointers. In a few cases you have to return or accept references (copy constructor, for instance), but other than that you are free to do as you wish. A rather common convention I've encountered is to use references when the parameter must refer an existing object and pointers when a NULL value is ok.

Some coding convention (like Google's) prescribe that one should always use pointers, or const references, because references have a bit of unclear-syntax: they have reference behaviour but value syntax.