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Containers in C++ STL

Last Updated : 19 Oct, 2026

Containers are class templates in the Standard Template Library (STL) that store and manage collections of elements efficiently.

Provide ready-to-use implementations of common data structures.
Support efficient storage, retrieval, insertion, and deletion of elements.
Work with different data types through templates.

Types of Containers

STL containers are broadly classified into four categories based on how they store and organize elements.

1. Sequence Containers

Sequence containers implement linear data structures in which the elements can be accessed sequentially. Following are the sequence containers in C++ STL:

Container Name	Description
Array	Container that wraps over fixed size static array.
Vector	Automatically resizable dynamic array.
Deque	Dynamic array of fixed-size arrays that allows fast insertions and deletions at both ends.
List	Implementation of Doubly Linked List data structure.
Forward List	Implementation of Singly Linked List data structure.

2. Associative Containers

Associative containers store data in some sorted order. It provides fast search, insert and delete in O(log n) time by using balanced trees like Red Black Trees.

Container Name	Description
Set	Collection of unique elements sorted on the basis of their values.
Map	Collection of key-value pairs sorted on the basis of the keys where no two pairs have same keys.
Multiset	Collection of elements sorted on the basis of their values but allows multiple copies of values.
Multimap	Collection of key-value pairs sorted on the basis of the keys where multiple pairs can have same keys.

3. Unordered Associative Containers

Unordered associative containers implement unsorted hashed data structures that can be quickly searched (O(1) amortized, O(n) worst-case complexity).

Container Name	Description
Unordered Set	Collection of unique elements hashed by their values.
Unordered Map	Collection of key-value pairs that are hashed by their keys where no two pairs have same keys.
Unordered Multiset	Collection of elements hashed by their values and allows multiple copies of values.
Unordered Multimap	Collection of key-value pairs that are hashed by their keys where multiple pairs can have same keys.

4. Container Adapters

Container adapters provide a different interface for other containers. They adapt the behavior of underlying containers to fit specific use cases.

Container Name	Description
Stack	Adapts a container to provide stack (LIFO) data structure.
Queue	Adapts a container to provide queue (FIFO) data structure.
Priority Queue	Adapts a container to provide heap data structure.

Common Operations

Most STL containers support a common set of operations for managing and accessing elements.

Operation	Description
insert()	Adds an element to the container
erase()	Removes an element from the container
size()	Returns the number of elements in the container
empty()	Checks whether the container is empty
clear()	Removes all elements from the container
begin()	Returns an iterator to the first element
end()	Returns an iterator to the position after the last element

Advantages of STL Containers

STL containers offer several advantages by providing optimized implementations of commonly used data structures.

Simplify programming through reusable and well-tested implementations.
Support efficient insertion, deletion, searching, and traversal operations.
Work with any data type using templates.

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