Part 2: Understanding STL Data Structures

This part of the book is a detailed reference to the versatile world of STL data structures. We commence with the sequential containers—std::array, std::vector, std::deque, std::list, std::forward_list, and std::string—providing you with a granular understanding of their design, usage, and performance nuances. Each container’s purpose and suitability are assessed, alongside discussions on their ideal use cases and performance characteristics. You will learn about the finer points of memory management and thread safety and how to interact with STL algorithms effectively.

We then focus on the ordered and unordered associative containers—std::set, std::map, std::multiset, std::multimap, and their unordered counterparts. The exploration continues with container adaptors such as std::stack, std::queue, and std::priority_queue, detailing their use cases and performance insights. We also introduce newer additions...