Containers

STL containers are objects that typically grow and shrink dynamically. Containers use complex data structures to store the data under the hood and offer high-level functions to access the data without us delving into the complex internal implementation details of the data structure. STL containers are highly efficient and time-tested.  

Every container uses different types of data structures to store, organize, and manipulate data in an efficient way. Though many containers may seem similar, they behave differently under the hood. Hence, the wrong choice of containers leads to application performance issues and unnecessary complexities.

Containers come in the following flavors:

• Sequential
• Associative 
• Container adapters

The objects stored in the containers are copied or moved, and not referenced. We will explore every type of container in the upcoming sections with simple yet interesting examples.