Data structures are a fundamental concept in computer science, focusing on how data is organized, stored, and accessed efficiently. The choice of a data structure plays a critical role in determining the performance of algorithms and the overall efficiency of software systems.

Common data structures include:

Arrays: simple and fast for indexed access but limited in flexibility

Linked Lists: consist of nodes connected by pointers, allowing efficient insertion and deletion but slower access

Hash Tables (Dictionaries): use hashing functions to map keys to values, providing fast average-case lookup, insertion, and deletion. They handle collisions using techniques like chaining or open addressing

Trees & Tries: hierarchical structures such as binary search trees enable efficient searching and sorting, while tries are useful for prefix-based operations like autocomplete