Functional Data Structures
Functional data structures are data structures designed for use in functional programming languages, where data is immutable and operations return new structures rather than modifying existing ones. They are persistent, meaning that previous versions of the structure remain accessible after updates, and often rely on techniques like structural sharing to achieve efficiency. This contrasts with imperative data structures, which are mutable and change state in-place.
Developers should learn functional data structures when working in functional programming languages like Haskell, Scala, or Clojure, as they align with the immutability and purity principles of these paradigms. They are essential for building reliable, concurrent, and thread-safe applications, as immutability eliminates side effects and reduces bugs related to shared state. Use cases include implementing undo/redo features, version control systems, and data processing pipelines where historical data access is required.