This was intended as a meme but is actually a good representation of what "Null" is. In C#, when you declare string s = "My shit"; it means that "s" is a reference to a memory location that holds the data "My shit". string s = null; means that the reference "s" exists but it's not pointing to any object, as in it holds nothing. Answer from abd53 on reddit.com
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freeCodeCamp
freecodecamp.org › news › a-quick-and-thorough-guide-to-null-what-it-is-and-how-you-should-use-it-d170cea62840
A quick and thorough guide to ‘null’: what it is, and how you should use it
June 12, 2018 - Note: Some programming languages (mostly functional programming languages like Haskell) don’t support the concept of null. Instead, they use the Maybe/Optional Pattern to represent the ‘absence of a value’. The compiler ensures that the ‘no value’ case is handled explicitly. Hence, null pointer errors cannot occur. ... If a reference points to null, it always means that there is no value associated with it.
Discussions

language agnostic - What is the purpose of null? - Stack Overflow
I am in a compilers class and we are tasked with creating our own language, from scratch. Currently our dilemma is whether to include a 'null' type or not. What purpose does null provide? Some of our More on stackoverflow.com
🌐 stackoverflow.com
What is Null?
This was intended as a meme but is actually a good representation of what "Null" is. In C#, when you declare string s = "My shit"; it means that "s" is a reference to a memory location that holds the data "My shit". string s = null; means that the reference "s" exists but it's not pointing to any object, as in it holds nothing. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/learnprogramming
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What does “null” mean and why is it here
🌐 r/discordapp
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What does 'null' mean in this piece of code?

Here it is just so that the variable "out" is set to something instead of being "uninitialized". Usually used in the finally block then you want to close it. and you cant access variables from inside the try block.

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🌐 r/learnprogramming
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MDN Web Docs
developer.mozilla.org › en-US › docs › Glossary › Null
Null - Glossary - MDN Web Docs
In computer science, a null value represents a reference that points, generally intentionally, to a nonexistent or invalid object or address. The meaning of a null reference varies among language implementations.
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ThoughtCo
thoughtco.com › definition-of-null-958118
What Does Null Mean in C, C++ and C#?
April 27, 2019 - Null is a constant built into C, C++, and C#. It has a value of zero. Null can also be the value of a pointer that points nowhere.
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Null: The Billion Dollar Mistake. Tony Hoare:

I call it my billion-dollar mistake. It was the invention of the null reference in 1965. At that time, I was designing the first comprehensive type system for references in an object oriented language (ALGOL W). My goal was to ensure that all use of references should be absolutely safe, with checking performed automatically by the compiler. But I couldn't resist the temptation to put in a null reference, simply because it was so easy to implement. This has led to innumerable errors, vulnerabilities, and system crashes, which have probably caused a billion dollars of pain and damage in the last forty years. In recent years, a number of program analysers like PREfix and PREfast in Microsoft have been used to check references, and give warnings if there is a risk they may be non-null. More recent programming languages like Spec# have introduced declarations for non-null references. This is the solution, which I rejected in 1965.

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null is a sentinel value that is not an integer, not a string, not a boolean - not anything really, except something to hold and be a "not there" value. Don't treat it as or expect it to be a 0, or an empty string or an empty list. Those are all valid values and can be geniunely valid values in many circumstances - the idea of a null instead means there is no value there.

Perhaps it's a little bit like a function throwing an exception instead of returning a value. Except instead of manufacturing and returning an ordinary value with a special meaning, it returns a special value that already has a special meaning. If a language expects you to work with null, then you can't really ignore it.

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Khoury College of Computer Sciences
khoury.northeastern.edu › home › kenb › MeaningOfNull.html
The Meaning of Null in Databases and Programming Languages
The main distinction between the relational null and the programming language null is the following: The relational null represents the absence of a value in a field of a record; whereas the programming language null represents one of the possible values of a variable.
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Quora
quora.com › What-does-NULL-mean-in-programming-languages
What does NULL mean in programming languages? - Quora
Answer (1 of 6): null is the pointer or reference to address zero. Why would this be needed or used? Let’s say you are searching for a library book that you want to read. Unlike Amazon, your library doesn’t have every book.
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DevX
devx.com › home › null
Null - Glossary
January 17, 2024 - In programming languages such as JavaScript, C, and Java, a null value can be assigned to variables to indicate that they do not have a valid object reference or lack any value or data.
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Medium
robertdelwood.medium.com › thinking-like-a-programmer-understanding-null-959a5da1d625
Thinking Like a Programmer: Understanding Null | by Robert Delwood | Medium
September 21, 2025 - With null, there is now a third condition. A null binary commonly means that information does not always have to be available or is not applicable. Some API developers do not even return a field if it’s null.
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TechCareer
techcareer.net › en › dictionary › null
What is Null? What does it do?
Null plays an important role in various programming languages and is a fundamental concept that software developers need to understand. Null, in many programming languages, means "empty" or "nothing."
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TechTerms
techterms.com › definition › null
Null Definition - What does null mean to a computer?
September 26, 2022 - Null, in computing terms, refers to the absence of a value. It does not mean a value of 0, since 0 is itself a value, nor does it mean a blank space " ". It also does not refer to an undefined variable, which has not been created at all. In the context of programming languages, a variable that ...
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Oreate AI
oreateai.com › blog › understanding-the-meaning-of-null-in-technology-and-everyday-life › fcb099fcbe694734007ed2e6f15b837f
Understanding the Meaning of 'Null' in Technology and Everyday Life - Oreate AI Blog
December 30, 2025 - This distinction matters because it helps programmers understand how to handle data effectively. In computer science, 'null' serves as a special marker indicating that something is missing or undefined.
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Coderanch
coderanch.com › t › 688734 › java › null
what does null mean? (Beginning Java forum at Coderanch)
December 24, 2017 - Alyxandra Harp wrote:From my understanding of null, it means the variable has no value. It is not any number, not even 0. A null value is for reference variables only. If a reference variable has a value of null, it means that it is not referring to any object/instance.
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Medium
medium.com › @sumeet2703 › understanding-the-difference-between-zero-and-null-in-programming-db60b4e12934
Understanding the Difference Between Zero and Null in Programming | by Sumeet K | Medium
September 4, 2024 - Null, on the other hand, represents the absence of a value or a reference. It is not a number, nor is it a default value—it signifies that a variable has not been assigned any value at all.
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Programmer's Wiki
code.fandom.com › wiki › Null
Null | Programmer's Wiki | Fandom
null (often NULL, or nil) is a constant used in many programming languages to indicate that the expected value is unknown. It is different from 0, the empty string, and false because these are known to be empty.
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Upwork
upwork.com › resources › articles › null in java: understanding the basics
Null in Java: Understanding the Basics - Upwork
August 5, 2024 - In Java, null is a literal used to denote the absence of an object. It is strictly typed, meaning it can only be assigned to reference types. Null checks are a common practice to prevent NullPointerExceptions, which can crash the program if ...
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DataCamp
datacamp.com › doc › java › null
null Keyword in Java: Usage & Examples
Java keywordsIntroduction To JavaJava File HandlingJava Language BasicsJava ArraysJava Object-Oriented Programming ... The null keyword in Java is a literal that represents a null reference, one that points to no object. It is often used to indicate that a reference variable does not currently ...
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Medium
medium.com › @shlomohassid › null-how-do-you-define-nothing-and-why-would-you-07683bdbe63a
NULL: How Do You Define Nothing? And Why Would You? | by Momi | Medium
May 31, 2025 - C was one of the early adopters of the null pointer concept. In C, NULL is a macro that represents a null pointer constant – typically defined as ((void*)0) or just 0 in standard headers. This means that writing ptr = NULL; in C is the same as ptr = 0; (with a cast to the appropriate pointer type). There is no special runtime support for NULL C; it’s purely a convention. The responsibility is entirely on the programmer to check for NULL before dereferencing pointers.