Problem Statement
Describe shallow copy versus deep copy of objects and when each should be used.
Explanation
A shallow copy duplicates the top-level object but shares references of nested or linked resources. This means that changes in one object’s nested resource affect the other. A deep copy duplicates both the object and all nested resources, so each object has its own independent state. Deep copy is needed when objects own resources (like dynamically allocated memory) that should not be shared. Many interviewers expect you to mention copy constructors, clone methods, and manage memory safely.
Practice Sets
This question appears in the following practice sets: