Pointers & ref sizes

• A ref (&) is pointer (*) that by definition can’t be null.
• A pointer holds a memory address.
• A pointer has a size of 64bits, it doesn’t matter what type it is (this is why you can forward declare in header when you use a pointer).

This is why using const ref on types smaller than 64 bits is counter productive, and should not be done if the goal is to optimize and avoid a copy. For example, if you use a const ref on a int32 variable, you will actually double the size.