Editing Indirection (section)

{{short description|Computer programming construct}}
{{sources|date=February 2022}}
In [[computer programming]], an '''indirection''' (also called a '''reference''') is a way of referring to something using a name, reference, or container instead of the value itself. The most common form of indirection is the act of manipulating a value through its [[memory address]]. For example, accessing a [[variable (programming)|variable]] through the use of a [[pointer (computer programming)|pointer]]. A stored pointer that exists to provide a reference to an object by double indirection is called an ''indirection node''. In some older computer architectures, indirect words supported a variety of more-or-less complicated [[addressing mode]]s.

Another important example is the [[domain name system]] which enables names such as <code>en.wikipedia.org</code> to be used in place
of network addresses such as <code>208.80.154.224</code>. The indirection from human-readable names to network addresses means that the references to a web page become more memorable, and links do not need to change when a web site is relocated to a different server.