Why can a C++ iterator be dereferenced although it isn't a pointer?

Question

I\'m reading C++ Primer 5th, and I encounter code that looks like this:

    string s(\"some string\");
    if (s.begin() != s.end())
    {
      auto it = s.         


        

Answer 1

The iterator type (and this is something that is obscured by using the magical auto keyword) is a complicated thing, not a primitive object.

When you ask for*it, you are given a reference to the char at that position. Hence you can modify it.