First In First Out

First In First Out (FIFO) is a fundamental data structure and processing concept where the first element added to a queue is the first one to be removed, analogous to a line of people waiting in order. It is widely used in computing for managing data flows, task scheduling, and buffer operations. This principle ensures orderly and predictable handling of items based on their arrival time.

Also known as: FIFO, Queue, First-Come First-Served, FCFS, First In First Out Queue

Why learn First In First Out?

Developers should learn FIFO for scenarios requiring fair and sequential processing, such as job queues in web servers, print spoolers, or message brokers like RabbitMQ. It is essential in algorithms like breadth-first search (BFS) and in systems where data must be processed in the exact order it was received to maintain consistency and prevent starvation.

Learning Resources

• tutorial: GeeksforGeeks: Queue Data Structure
• tutorial: Khan Academy: Queues and FIFO
• docs: Wikipedia: FIFO (computing and electronics)
• course: Coursera: Data Structures and Algorithms Specialization
• video: YouTube: FIFO Explained (Computer Science)