Quick Answer

Low-level memory access with pointer operations.

Understanding the Issue

Pointers enable direct memory manipulation but require careful handling to avoid segmentation faults and memory leaks.

The Problem

This code demonstrates the issue:

Cpp Error 
// Problem: Dangling pointer
int* create() {
    int x = 10;
    return &x; // Returns address of local
}

The Solution

Here's the corrected code:

Cpp Fixed 
// Solution 1: Dynamic allocation
int* safe_create() {
    return new int(10); // Caller must delete
}

// Solution 2: Smart pointer
unique_ptr<int> best_create() {
    return make_unique<int>(10);
}

Key Takeaways

Understand pointer lifetimes and prefer smart pointers.