Difference between return and printf in C

In C programming, return and print serve fundamentally different purposes and they are used in distinct contexts to achieve specific tasks. Let’s see each of them and see what are their functions and differences.

1. Return Statement

In C, return is a statement used within a function to terminate the function’s execution and return a value to the caller. It is used to pass data back from the function to the calling code.

Syntax

return value;

Example

C

// C program to illustrate the return statement
#include <stdio.h>

// function that return value
int foo() { return 10; }

// driver code
int main()
{
    int z = foo();
    printf("The value returned by function: %d", z);
    return 0;
}

Output

The value returned by function: 10

2. Printf Function

The printf is a standard C library function used for the formatted output. It is not a statement-like return but rather a function that takes a format string and a variable number of arguments. It displays formatted data to the console or other output streams and does not pass data between the functions.

Syntax

printf("format string", argument1, argument2, ...);

Example

C

// C program to illustrate printf
#include <stdio.h>

// function that prints value
void foo() { printf("In the function"); }

// driver code
int main()
{
    foo();
    return 0;
}

Output

In the function

Difference between return and printf in C

Characteristics	return	printf
Purpose	Used to terminate the function and return a value	Used for formatted output to console
Return Type	Depends on the function’s declared return type	int – returns the number of the characters printed
Usage	Inside functions to return a value to the caller	Inside functions to display data on the console
Value Passing	Passes a value from the function back to the caller	Does not pass data between functions only displays the output
Terminates Function	Immediately exits the current function	Does not terminate the function execution continues
Example	return 42; returns the integer value 42	printf(“Hello, World!”); displays “Hello, World!”