Explore the full potential of C++ by mastering the standard library.

Become a C++ Programmer

The C++ standard library is a collection of all the tools and utilities available in C++. It received its latest update in 2017, known as C++17. The update introduces many new features that further optimize our code. This module will help us fully grasp C++ and use it to its full potential.

C++ Standard Library

Although the sequential and associative containers of the Standard Template library are two very different classes of containers, they have a lot in common. For example, the operations used to `create` or `delete` a container, to determine its `size`, to `access` its elements, to `assign` or `swap`, are all independent of the type of elements in a container. It is common for the containers to be defined with an arbitrary size. The reason is that each container has an allocator, hence the size of a container can be adjusted at runtime.  The allocator works in the background most of the time. This can be seen for an `std::vector`. The call `std::vector<int>` results in a call `std::vector<int, std::allocator<int>>`. Because of the `std::allocator` we can adjust the size of all containers dynamically,  except for `std::array`.  However, they have even more in common. We can access the elements of a container quite easily with an iterator.

Having so much in common, the containers differ in their details. The chapters [Sequential Containers](https://www.educative.io/courses/cpp-fundamentals-for-professionals/introduction-JEQDMKjL4Ko) and [Associative Containers in General](https://www.educative.io/courses/cpp-fundamentals-for-professionals/introduction) provide these details.

C++ covers the  sequential containers [std::array](https://www.educative.io/courses/cpp-fundamentals-for-professionals/arrays), [std::vector](https://www.educative.io/courses/cpp-fundamentals-for-professionals/vectors), [std::deque](https://www.educative.io/courses/cpp-fundamentals-for-professionals/deques), [std::list](https://www.educative.io/courses/cpp-fundamentals-for-professionals/lists), and [std::forward_list,](https://www.educative.io/courses/cpp-fundamentals-for-professionals/forward-lists) in detail.

The same holds true for associative containers, which can be classified in the ordered and unordered associative container.

This chapter deals with the different features that are present in all types of C++ containers.

Introduction