Why are use List Data Structure more than HashTable in Data Structure?
Why are use List Data Structure more than HashTable in Data Structure?
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26-Mar-2023
Updated on 28-Apr-2023
Aryan Kumar
28-Apr-2023The List and Hashtable are two different data structures that serve different purposes, and there is no inherent reason to use one more than the other. It really depends on the specific needs of the application and the nature of the data being stored.
A List is an ordered collection of elements, where each element can be accessed by its index. Lists are useful when you need to maintain the order of the elements or when you need to access elements by their position in the list.
On the other hand, a Hashtable is an associative array that stores key-value pairs. The keys are used to index into the table to retrieve the associated value. Hashtables are useful when you need to look up values quickly based on a key.
So, if you need to maintain the order of elements, use a List. If you need to store key-value pairs and perform lookups based on the keys, use a Hashtable.
However, it's worth noting that in modern Java, Hashtable is considered a legacy data structure and HashMap is typically used instead. HashMap provides the same functionality as Hashtable, but with better performance and scalability.
In summary, the choice between List and Hashtable (or HashMap) depends on the specific requirements of your application and the type of data you need to store and access.