Queue Data Structure and Implementation in Java, Python and
C/C++
A queue is a useful data structure in programming. It is similar to the ticket queue outside a cinema hall,
where the first person entering the queue is the first person who gets the ticket.
Queue follows the First In First Out (FIFO) rule - the item that goes in first is the item that comes out first.
FIFO Representation of Queue
In the above image, since 1 was kept in the queue before 2, it is the first to be removed from the queue as
well. It follows the FIFO rule.
In programming terms, putting items in the queue is called enqueue, and removing items from the queue is
called dequeue.
We can implement the queue in any programming language like C, C++, Java, Python or C#, but the
specification is pretty much the same.
Basic Operations of Queue
A queue is an object (an abstract data structure - ADT) that allows the following operations:
Enqueue: Add an element to the end of the queue
Dequeue: Remove an element from the front of the queue
IsEmpty: Check if the queue is empty
IsFull: Check if the queue is full
Peek: Get the value of the front of the queue without removing it
Working of Queue
Queue operations work as follows:
two pointers FRONT and REAR
FRONT track the first element of the queue
REAR track the last element of the queue
initially, set value of FRONT and REAR to -1
Enqueue Operation
check if the queue is full
for the first element, set the value of FRONT to 0
increase the REAR index by 1
add the new element in the position pointed to by REAR
Dequeue Operation
check if the queue is empty
return the value pointed by FRONT
increase the FRONT index by 1
for the last element, reset the values of FRONT and REAR to -1
Enqueue and Dequeue Operations
Queue Implementations in Python, Java, C, and C++
We usually use arrays to implement queues in Java and C/++. In the case of Python, we use lists.
# Queue implementation in Python
class Queue():
def __init__(self, k):
self.k = k
self.queue = [None] * k
self.head = self.tail = -1
# Insert an element into the queue
def enqueue(self, data):
if (self.tail == self.k - 1):
print("The queue is full\n")
elif (self.head == -1):
self.head = 0
self.tail = 0
self.queue[self.tail] = data
else:
self.tail = self.tail + 1
self.queue[self.tail] = data
# Delete an element from the queue
def dequeue(self):
if (self.head == -1):
print("The queue is empty\n")
elif (self.head == self.tail):
temp = self.queue[self.head]
self.head = -1
self.tail = -1
return temp
else:
temp = self.queue[self.head]
self.head = self.head + 1
return temp
def printQueue(self):
if(self.head == -1):
print("No element in the queue")
else:
for i in range(self.head, self.tail + 1):
print(self.queue[i], end=" ")
print()
# Your Queue object will be instantiated and called as such:
obj = Queue(5)
obj.enqueue(1)
obj.enqueue(2)
obj.enqueue(3)
obj.enqueue(4)
obj.enqueue(5)
print("Initial queue")
obj.printQueue()
obj.dequeue()
print("After removing an element from the queue")
obj.printQueue()
// Queue implementation in Java
public class Queue {
int SIZE = 5;
int items[] = new int[SIZE];
int front, rear;
Queue() {
front = -1;
rear = -1;
}
boolean isFull() {
if (rear == SIZE - 1) {
return true;
}
return false;
}
