Difference between Boxing and Unboxing in C#

Last Updated : 17 Apr, 2019

Boxing and unboxing is an important concept in C#. C# Type System contains three data types: Value Types (int, char, etc), Reference Types (object) and Pointer Types. Basically, it converts a Value Type to a Reference Type, and vice versa. Boxing and Unboxing enables a unified view of the type system in which a value of any type can be treated as an object.

Boxing Unboxing

It convert value type into an object type. It convert an object type into value type.

Boxing is an implicit conversion process. Unboxing is the explicit conversion process.

Here, the value stored on the stack copied to the object stored on the heap memory. Here, the object stored on the heap memory copied to the value stored on the stack .

Example:

// C# program to illustrate Boxing
using System;
  
public class GFG {
    static public void Main()
    {
        int val = 2019;
  
        // Boxing
        object o = val;
  
        // Change the value of val
        val = 2000;
  
        Console.WriteLine("Value type of val is {0}", val);
        Console.WriteLine("Object type of val is {0}", o);
    }
}

Output:

Value type of val is 2000
Object type of val is 2019

Example:

// C# program to illustrate Unboxing
using System;
  
public class GFG {
    static public void Main()
    {
        int val = 2019;
  
        // Boxing
        object o = val;
  
        // Unboxing
        int x = (int)o;
  
        Console.WriteLine("Value of o is {0}", o);
        Console.WriteLine("Value of x is {0}", x);
    }
}

Output:

Value of o is 2019
Value of x is 2019

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My Personal Notes

Mar	APR	May
	21
2020	2021	2022

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