C++: Is it safe to cast pointer to int and later back to pointer again?

Question

Is it safe to cast pointer to int and later back to pointer again?

How about if we know if the pointer is 32 bit long and int is 32 bit long?

long* juggle(long* p) {
    static_assert(sizeof(long*) == sizeof(int));
    int v = reinterpret_cast<int>(p); // or if sizeof(*)==8 choose long here
    do_some_math(v); // prevent compiler from optimizing
    return reinterpret_cast<long*>(v);
}

int main() {
    long* stuff = new long(42);
    long* ffuts = juggle(stuff); 
    std::cout << "Is this always 42? " << *ffuts << std::endl;
}

Is this covered by the Standard?

Answer 1

No.

For instance, on x86-64, a pointer is 64-bit long, but int is only 32-bit long. Casting a pointer to int and back again makes the upper 32-bit of the pointer value lost.

You may use the intptr_t type in <cstdint> if you want an integer type which is guaranteed to be as long as the pointer. You could safely reinterpret_cast from a pointer to an intptr_t and back.