Indirection
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In computer programming, indirection is the ability to reference something using a name, reference, or container instead of the value itself.
One type of indirection is the act of manipulating a value through its address. For example, accessing a variable through the use of a pointer to it is a type of indirection (often called dereferencing).
In the C/C++/D programming languages, the asterisk (*) is the dereference operator. When placed before a pointer, it refers to the value pointed to.
A stored pointer that exists to provide a reference to an object by double indirection is called an indirection node.
Other examples of indirection are proxy_pattern and proxy_server.
See also: Handle