Copy Constructor vs Assignment Operator in C++ Last Updated : 13 Aug, 2024 Comments Improve Suggest changes Like Article Like Report Copy constructor and Assignment operator are similar as they are both used to initialize one object using another object. But, there are some basic differences between them:Copy constructor Assignment operator It is called when a new object is created from an existing object, as a copy of the existing objectThis operator is called when an already initialized object is assigned a new value from another existing object. It creates a separate memory block for the new object.It does not automatically create a separate memory block or new memory space. However, if the class involves dynamic memory management, the assignment operator must first release the existing memory on the left-hand side and then allocate new memory as needed to copy the data from the right-hand side.It is an overloaded constructor.It is a bitwise operator. C++ compiler implicitly provides a copy constructor, if no copy constructor is defined in the class.A bitwise copy gets created, if the Assignment operator is not overloaded. Syntax:className(const className &obj) {// body }Syntax: className obj1, obj2;obj2 = obj1;Consider the following C++ program. CPP // CPP Program to demonstrate the use of copy constructor // and assignment operator #include <iostream> #include <stdio.h> using namespace std; class Test { public: Test() {} Test(const Test& t) { cout << "Copy constructor called " << endl; } Test& operator=(const Test& t) { cout << "Assignment operator called " << endl; return *this; } }; // Driver code int main() { Test t1, t2; t2 = t1; Test t3 = t1; getchar(); return 0; } OutputAssignment operator called Copy constructor called Explanation: Here, t2 = t1; calls the assignment operator, same as t2.operator=(t1); and Test t3 = t1; calls the copy constructor, same as Test t3(t1);Must Read: When is a Copy Constructor Called in C++? Comment More infoAdvertise with us Next Article Copy Constructor vs Assignment Operator in C++ K kartik Follow Improve Article Tags : C++ Practice Tags : CPP Similar Reads Assignment Operators in C++ In C++, the assignment operator forms the backbone of computational processes by performing a simple operation like assigning a value to a variable. It is denoted by equal sign ( = ) and provides one of the most basic operations in any programming language i.e. assign some value to the variables in 6 min read Why copy constructor argument should be const in C++? When we create our own copy constructor, we pass an object by reference and we generally pass it as a const reference. One reason for passing const reference is, we should use const in C++ wherever possible so that objects are not accidentally modified. This is one good reason for passing reference 3 min read Self assignment check in assignment operator In C++, assignment operator should be overloaded with self assignment check. For example, consider the following class Array and overloaded assignment operator function without self assignment check. C // A sample class class Array { private: int *ptr; int size; public: Array& operator = (const 2 min read Advanced C++ | Virtual Copy Constructor In the virtual constructor idiom we have seen the way to construct an object whose type is not determined until runtime. Is it possible to create an object without knowing it's exact class type? The virtual copy constructor address this question.Sometimes we may need to construct an object from anot 5 min read Copy Constructor in C++ A copy constructor is a type of constructor that creates an object using another object of the same class. The process of initializing members of an object through a copy constructor is known as copy initialization. It is also called member-wise initialization because the copy constructor initialize 6 min read Like