Summary

As a software engineer, you’ll encounter countless programming challenges that initially seem confusing, difficult, or even impossible. Don’t despair! Many of these “new” problems already have well-established solutions. Algorithms and Data Structures in Action teaches you powerful approaches to a wide range of tricky coding challenges that you can adapt and apply to your own applications. Providing a balanced blend of classic, advanced, and new algorithms, this practical guide upgrades your programming toolbox with new perspectives and hands-on techniques.

About the Technology

Data structures and algorithms are the foundations for how programs store and process information. Choosing the optimal algorithms ensures that your programs are fast, efficient, and reliable.

About the book

Algorithms and Data Structures in Action introduces you to a diverse range of algorithms you’ll use in web applications, systems programming, and data manipulation. Chapter-by-chapter, the book expands on the basic algorithms you’ll already know to give you a better selection of solutions to different programming problems. In it, you’ll discover techniques for improving priority queues, efficient caching, clustering data, and more. Each example is fully illustrated with graphics, language-agnostic pseudo-code, and code samples in various languages. When you’re done, you will be able to implement advanced and little-known algorithms to deliver better performance from your code. You’ll even have the skills to design your own data structures to solve those cases when a custom solution is required.

What's inside

Improving on basic data structures

Efficient caching

Nearest neighbour search, including k-d trees and S-trees

Full ‘pseudo-code’ and samples in multiple languages

About the reader

For programmers with basic or intermediate skills. Written in a language-agnostic manner, no specific language knowledge is required.