Stack vs Queue

In this post, we will learn the difference between Stack and Queue in Java. This is a frequently asked
question in Java interviews for beginners. Let's dive into it.

Difference between Stack and Queue in Java

Stack Queue
Stack is a data structure that follows the LIFO (Last In First Out) principle. Queue is a data structure that follows the FIFO (First In First Out) principle.
Insertion and removal of elements take place at the same end in a stack, referred to as the "top" of the stack. In a queue, insertion of elements takes place at the rear end and removal occurs at the front end.
Stacks are mainly used in scenarios where data is required to be accessed in the reverse order it was entered, like in recursion or when implementing a backtracking algorithm. Queues are often used in scenarios where data needs to be processed in the exact order it was entered, like in simulations of real-world queues (people queuing at a ticket booth) or in breadth-first search algorithms.
Stack can be implemented using an array or a linked list. Queue can also be implemented using an array or a linked list.
Some standard operations on a stack include push (inserting an element), pop (removing the top element), peek, or top (checking the top element without removing it). Some standard operations on a queue include: enqueue (inserting an element at the rear end), dequeue (removing an element from the front end), peek, or front (checking the front element without removing it).
A stack may result in a StackOverflow error if too many operations are performed (usually due to deep recursion). A queue does not have this issue, although if a queue is implemented with a finite size, it can become full if too many elements are added.
Stack doesn't inherently support accessing other elements except the top one. Queue inherently supports accessing all the elements from front to rear.

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