Raw Pointer

Definitions

1. A pointer type (*const T or *mut T in Rust, bare pointers in C/C++) that carries no ownership semantics, lifetime guarantees, or automatic null/bounds checking. In Rust, dereferencing a raw pointer requires an unsafe block because the compiler cannot verify memory safety; they are used for FFI, low-level data structures, and performance-critical code that needs to bypass the borrow checker.

   In plain English: A direct memory address with no safety guardrails — the program trusts you completely to use it correctly.

   Example: "The FFI boundary returns a raw pointer — we wrap it in an unsafe block and immediately convert to a Box to get ownership and drop semantics back."

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