Key Takeaways

In this chapter, we explored how to use smart pointers and const. We learned what it means to have a const smart pointer or a smart pointer to a const value.

• When smart pointers are passed by const reference, it’s usually because many developers don’t understand the implications.

• Passing smart pointers by reference doesn’t share or give ownership. It might lead to situations where we have a valid pointer, but the underlying object was already destroyed.

• Smart pointers should be passed around by value in general, but there are some exceptional cases when it’s acceptable or desirable to pass by reference and reap the performance gains.