What is the difference between a c++ queue and deque?
In C++, Queue and Deque are two distinct data structures with unique characteristics and purposes.
- Line:
- A queue is a data structure that follows the “First In, First Out” (FIFO) principle, much like waiting in line in real life.
- You can only insert elements at the end of the queue and delete elements from the front.
- There are only two operations: push (enqueue) and pop (dequeue).
- In C++, a Queue is implemented using std::queue, with deque as the default container.
- Double-ended queue:
- A deque is a data structure with both queue and stack properties, allowing insertion and deletion operations at both ends.
- You can insert and delete at both the front and end of the queue simultaneously.
- Having more operations such as push_front (inserting at the front of the queue), push_back (inserting at the back of the queue), pop_front (deleting from the front of the queue), pop_back (deleting from the back of the queue), etc.
- In C++, a Deque is implemented using std::deque.
Therefore, the main difference is that Deque is a data structure that has more operations and supports both queue and stack properties, while Queue only supports queue properties.