What is the difference between a stack and a queue in data structures and when would you use each one?

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Answered by suresh

Stack vs Queue: Differences and Use Cases - Software Engineer Interview Question

Stack vs Queue in Data Structures

Stack and Queue are basic data structures used in programming. Here are the main differences between the two:

Stack:

  • Follows Last In First Out (LIFO) principle.
  • Operations: Push (add) and Pop (remove).
  • Used for function call stack, undo functionality, and backtracking algorithms.

Queue:

  • Follows First In First Out (FIFO) principle.
  • Operations: Enqueue (add) and Dequeue (remove).
  • Used in scheduling, breadth-first search, and printing tasks in order.

When to Use Each?

Use a stack when you need to access elements in reverse order or perform operations like undo in a sequential manner. Use a queue when you need to process elements in the order they were added or perform operations like scheduling tasks.

Understanding the differences between stack and queue is crucial in designing efficient algorithms and data structures.

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Answer for Question: What is the difference between a stack and a queue in data structures and when would you use each one?