Data Structures
Data structures are specialized formats for organizing, storing, and managing data in computer memory to enable efficient access, modification, and operations. They provide a way to represent data in a structured manner, such as arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, and graphs, each with specific properties and use cases. Understanding data structures is fundamental to writing optimized algorithms and solving complex computational problems.
Developers should learn data structures to design efficient software, as they directly impact performance, memory usage, and scalability in applications like databases, search engines, and real-time systems. Mastery is essential for technical interviews, algorithm design, and working on performance-critical projects such as game development, financial modeling, or large-scale data processing.