Difference between Reference types and Value types in .net ?

Question

i want to know that how do reference types and values types differ in .net ?

Vulpes · Answer

The basic difference is that: 1. A variable of a value type contains the actual instance. 2. A variable of a reference type contains a reference (i.e. a pointer) to where the actual instance is stored on the heap. Whilst reference type instances are always stored on the heap, value type instances may be stored on the heap or the stack. Broadly, local variables and parameters passed by value are stored on the stack and all other instances of value types are stored on the heap. A reference type instance always includes some overhead (8 bytes on a 32 bit system, 16 bytes on a 64 bit system) whereas a value type instance never includes any overhead. Structs and enums are value types, but all other types are reference types.

Prabhu Raja · Answer

Hi, Check out this Article By Puneet Walecha http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadFile/e7ad16/8634/

Tulasi · Answer

struct are value types or reference types in .NET? Most programming languages provide built-in data types, such as integers and floating-point numbers, that are copied when they are passed as arguments (that is, they are passed by value). In the .NET Framework, these are called value types. The runtime supports two kinds of value types: 1. Built-in value types The .NET Framework defines built-in value types, such as System.Int32 and System.Boolean, which correspond and are identical to primitive data types used by programming languages. 2. User-defined value types Your language will provide ways to define your own value types, which derive from System.ValueType. If you want to define a type representing a value that is small, such as a complex number (using two floating-point numbers), you might choose to define it as a value type because you can pass the value type efficiently by value. If the type you are defining would be more efficiently passed by reference, you should define it as a class instead. Variables of reference types, referred to as objects, store references to the actual data. This following are the reference types: 3. class 4. interface 5. delegate This following are the built-in reference types: 1. object 2. string

Javeed M Shaikh · Answer

Hi Manoj, Please refer to the C# Corner article on this topic: http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadFile/gowth/4518/

Difference between Reference types and Value types in .net ?

Answers (4)