Is a php array a linked list?

PHP array is not a linked list. PHP array is actually an ordered map, a data structure that associates keys and values. The array can be regarded as a collection of key-value pairs, in which each Keys are unique, and the corresponding values ​​can be accessed and manipulated through the keys.

Operating system for this tutorial: Windows 10 system, php8.1.3 version, Dell G3 computer.

#In PHP, arrays are not linked lists. PHP's array is actually an ordered map, which is a data structure that associates keys and values. An array can be thought of as a collection of key-value pairs, where each key is unique and the corresponding value can be accessed and manipulated through the key.

PHP’s array implementation is based on hash table (hash table), not linked list. Specifically, PHP's hash table uses a hash function to map keys to index locations in internal storage structures, allowing for fast key value lookup and access. This makes PHP's arrays highly performant under normal circumstances.

Compared with linked lists, PHP arrays have better random access performance because the corresponding values ​​can be obtained directly through the keys without traversing the entire data structure. In addition, PHP's arrays also provide a wealth of built-in functions and methods to facilitate common operations and processing of arrays.

It should be noted that PHP arrays are syntactically similar to arrays or lists in other programming languages. Although the underlying implementation may be different, PHP arrays can be manipulated according to conventional array concepts.

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