A queue is a type of list where data are inserted at the end and are removed from the front. Queues are used to store data in the order in which they occur, as opposed to a stack, in which the last piece of data entered is the first element used for processing. Think of a queue like the line at your bank, where the first person into the line is the first person served, and as more customers enter a line, they wait in the back until it is their turn to be served.
A queue is an example of a first-in, first-out (FIFO) data structure. Queues are used to order processes submitted to an operating system or a print spooler, and simulation applications use queues to model scenarios such as customers standing in the line at a bank or a grocery store.
Queue Operations
The two primary operations involving queues are inserting a new element into a queue and removing an element from a queue. The insertion operation is called enqueue, and the removal operation is called dequeue. The enqueue operation inserts a new element at the end of a queue, and the dequeue operation removes an element from the front of a queue. Figure 5-1 illustrates these operations.
Figure 5-1. Inserting and removing elements from a queue
Another important queue operation is viewing the element at the front of a queue. This operation is called peek. The peek operation returns the element stored at ...
Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month, and much more.
O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.
Julian F.
Head of Cybersecurity
I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.
Addison B.
Field Engineer
I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.
Amir M.
Data Platform Tech Lead
I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.
O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.
