Classification of data structures

The term data structure refers to the organization of data in a computer's memory, in order to retrieve it quickly for processing. It is a scheme for data organization to decouple the functional definition of a data structure from its implementation. A data structure is chosen based on the problem type and the operations performed on the data.

If the situation requires various datatypes within a data structure, we can choose heterogeneous data structures. Linked, ordered, and unordered lists are grouped as heterogeneous data structures. Linear data structures are lists, sets, tuples, queues, stacks, and heaps. Trees, tables, and containers are categorized as nonlinear data structures. Two-dimensional and multidimensional arrays are grouped as homogeneous data structures. Dynamic data structures are dictionaries, tree sets, and sequences.

The classification of Data Structures is show in the following diagram:

Let's take a look at lists, tuples and heaps in the next sections.