Python: Journey from Novice to Expert

Queues

Queues are peculiar data structures because, like sets, their functionality can be handled entirely using lists. However, while lists are extremely versatile general-purpose tools, they are occasionally not the most efficient data structure for container operations. If your program is using a small dataset (up to hundreds or even thousands of elements on today's processors), then lists will probably cover all your use cases. However, if you need to scale your data into the millions, you may need a more efficient container for your particular use case. Python therefore provides three types of queue data structures, depending on what kind of access you are looking for. All three utilize the same API, but differ in both behavior and data structure. ...