---
title: "What is NULL pointer?"  
description: "What is NULL pointer?"  
author: "Tarun Gautam"  
published: 2017-11-13  
canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/30447/what-is-null-pointer  
category: "programming"  
tags: ["pointers"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# What is NULL pointer?

What is [NULL pointer](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/33516/null-pointer-exception-occured-in-oncreate-when-acessing-view-in-android)?

## Answers

### Answer by Manish Kumar

In computing, a null pointer has a value reserved for indicating that the pointer does not refer to a valid object. Programs routinely use null pointers to represent conditions such as the end of a list of unknown length or the failure to perform some action; this use of null pointers can be compared to nullable types and to the Nothing value in an option type. A null pointer should not be confused with an uninitialized pointer: A null pointer is guaranteed to compare unequal to any pointer that points to a valid object. However, depending on the language and implementation, an uninitialized pointer may not have any such guarantee. It might compare equal to other, valid pointers; or it might compare equal to null pointers. It might do both at different times.


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Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/30447/what-is-null-pointer

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