What is the difference between a stack and a queue data structure?

Stack vs Queue Data Structure: Key Differences

In computer science, both stack and queue are abstract data structures used for storing and retrieving elements. Here are some key differences between the two:

Stack:

• Stack follows the Last In First Out (LIFO) principle.
• Elements are added and removed from the top of the stack.
• Common operations on a stack include push (insert element) and pop (remove element).
• Stacks are used in function call and recursion handling.

Queue:

• Queue follows the First In First Out (FIFO) principle.
• Elements are added at the rear (enqueue) and removed from the front (dequeue) of the queue.
• Common operations on a queue include enqueue (add element) and dequeue (remove element).
• Queues are ideal for handling scheduling and breadth-first search algorithms.

Understanding the differences between a stack and a queue is crucial in choosing the right data structure for a specific programming problem.