# Rust Algorithms and Data Structures Interview Guide
## User
ok, i would like to learn algorithms and datastructures in rust.
give me a list with the most useful and common algorithms and datastructures to
pass interviews.
order those algorithm and datastructures in importance and most commonly used in
code interviews.
## Agent
Here's a prioritized list of algorithms and data structures for Rust coding
interviews, ordered by frequency and importance:
### 🏆 Top 10 Data Structures
1. **Arrays/Vectors** (`Vec<T>`)
*Why:* Foundation for 80%+ of problems. Rust slices (`&[T]`) enable safe views
without copying.
2. **Hash Maps** (`std::collections::HashMap`)
*Rust Nuance:* Requires handling ownership (e.g., `insert` moves ownership
unless using `Copy` types).
3. **Linked Lists**
*Rust Challenge:* Implemented with `Box<Node>` and `Option`; demonstrates
ownership chains.
4. **Stacks/Queues**
*Rust Tools:* `Vec` (stack) + `VecDeque` (queue) from `std::collections`.
5. **Binary Trees/Heaps**
*Rust Memory:* Nodes use `Box` for heap allocation. `BinaryHeap` available in
stdlib.
6. **Graphs**
*Rust Patterns:* Adjacency list using `Vec<Vec<usize>>` or `HashMap<u32,
Vec<u32>>`.
7. **Tries**
*Rust Bonus:* Great for exploring borrow checker with nested structures.
8. **Hash Sets** (`std::collections::HashSet`)
*Optimization:* Faster lookups than vectors for membership tests.
9. **Strings** (`String`/`&str`)
*Rust Specific:* UTF-8 handling and slicing complexities.
10. **Matrices** (2D `Vec<Vec<T>>`)
*Memory Tip:* Use flat vectors for cache efficiency: `vec![0; rows*cols]`.
### 🚀 Top 10 Algorithms
1. **Binary Search**
*Rust Way:* Use `.partition_point()` or implement with
`[T]::binary_search_by()`.
2. **BFS/DFS**
*Graph Traversal:* Demonstrates recursion (stack) vs. iteration (queue)
tradeoffs.
3. **Two Pointers**
*Rust Safety:* Compiler prevents invalid memory access during sliding window
ops.
4. **Sorting**
*Stdlib Power:* `vec.sort_unstable()` (quicksort) or custom `vec.sort_by_key()`.
5. **Dynamic Programming**
*Ownership Help:* Mutability rules prevent accidental shared state in DP tables.
6. **Recursion**
*Rust Limit:* No TCO – iterative solutions often better for deep recursion.
7. **Backtracking**
*Memory Safety:* Borrow checker prevents iterator invalidation during DFS.
8. **Heap/Priority Queue**
*Stdlib:* `BinaryHeap` (max-heap by default; use `Reverse` for min-heap).
9. **Trie Traversal**
*Borrow Check:* Excellent for practicing shared vs. mutable access patterns.
10. **Union-Find**
*Rust Optimized:* Can use arrays for parent pointers with path compression.
### 📊 Interview Frequency Distribution
```text
Data Structures Algorithms
─────────────────────────────────────
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ (75%) ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ (70%) Arrays/Vectors + Binary Search/Sorting
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ (60%) ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ (55%) Hash Maps + Two Pointers
▓▓▓▓▓▓ (40%) ▓▓▓▓▓▓ (45%) Trees/Graphs + BFS/DFS
▓▓▓ (25%) ▓▓▓ (30%) Linked Lists + Recursion
```
### 💡 Rust-Centric Tips
1. **Ownership First:** Design data structures around ownership (e.g., use
`Rc<RefCell<Node>>` for shared graph nodes)
2. **Lifetime Practice:** Graph problems often need explicit lifetimes (`struct
Graph<'a>`)
3. **Iterator Magic:** Leverage Rust's iterator combinators (`filter()`, `map()`,
`fold()`) for concise solutions
4. **Testing Edge Cases:** Use `#[test]` for property-based testing on corner cases
(empty inputs, duplicates, etc.)
Want a deep dive on any item? I can:
1. Explain with memory diagrams 🧠
2. Show Rust vs. Python/Java implementations ⚔️
3. Provide LeetCode-style practice problems 🎯
4. Demonstrate common interview anti-patterns in Rust 🚫
Which topic should we explore first?
