Why C++ copy constructor must use const object?

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  • Logically, it should make no sense to modify an object of which you just want to make a copy, though sometimes it may have some sense, like a situation where you’d like to store the number of time this object has been copied. But this could work with a mutable member variable that stores this information, and can be modified even for a const object (and the second point will justify this approach)

  • You would like to be able to create copy of const objects. But if you’re not passing your argument with a const qualifier, then you can’t create copies of const objects…

  • You couldn’t create copies from temporary reference, because temporary objects are rvalue, and can’t be bound to reference to non-const. For a more detailed explanation, I suggest Herb Sutter’s article on the matter

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