Skip Lists
Skip lists are a probabilistic data structure that provides average-case O(log n) time complexity for search, insertion, and deletion operations, similar to balanced trees. They consist of multiple layers of linked lists, where higher layers skip over elements to allow faster traversal. This structure is simpler to implement than many balanced tree algorithms while maintaining efficient performance.
Developers should learn skip lists when they need an ordered data structure with predictable performance that is easier to implement and debug than balanced trees like AVL or red-black trees. They are particularly useful in scenarios requiring concurrent operations, as they can be adapted for lock-free or fine-grained locking implementations, making them suitable for high-performance databases, caching systems, and in-memory data stores.