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A hash table uses a hash function to compute an index, also called a hash code, into an array of buckets or slots, from which the desired value can be found. During lookup, the key is hashed and the resulting hash indicates where the corresponding value is stored. A map implemented by a hash table is called a hash map.
The output is a hash code used to index a hash table holding the data or records, or pointers to them. A hash function may be considered to perform three functions: Convert variable-length keys into fixed-length (usually machine-word -length or less) values, by folding them by words or other units using a parity-preserving operator like ADD or XOR,
Linear probing is a component of open addressing schemes for using a hash table to solve the dictionary problem.In the dictionary problem, a data structure should maintain a collection of key–value pairs subject to operations that insert or delete pairs from the collection or that search for the value associated with a given key.
The most frequently used general-purpose implementation of an associative array is with a hash table: an array combined with a hash function that separates each key into a separate "bucket" of the array. The basic idea behind a hash table is that accessing an element of an array via its index is a simple, constant-time operation.
There is no standard implementation of associative arrays in C, but a 3rd-party library, C Hash Table, with BSD license, is available. [1] Another 3rd-party library, uthash, also creates associative arrays from C structures. A structure represents a value, and one of the structure fields serves as the key. [2]
Name Length Type Pearson hashing: 8 bits (or more) XOR/table Paul Hsieh's SuperFastHash [1]: 32 bits Buzhash: variable XOR/table Fowler–Noll–Vo hash function
Also, a hash table may have to be periodically resized, an expensive operation, whereas HAMTs grow dynamically. Generally, HAMT performance is improved by a larger root table with some multiple of N slots; some HAMT variants allow the root to grow lazily [ 1 ] with negligible impact on performance.
Ultimately the resulting performance of a concurrent hash table depends on a variety of factors based upon its desired application. When choosing the implementation, it is important to determine the necessary amount of generality, contention handling strategies and some thoughts on whether the size of the desired table can be determined in ...