When do you use a List and when do you use a Dictionary?

  • The choice of using a List or a Dictionary depends on the requirement, since both serve different purposes.
  • A List represents a dynamic linear sequence of elements, and offers index-based access along with utility methods such as Add, Remove, Count, Min, Max and so on based on the type of the objects being added to the List.
  • If the emphasis is on manipulating the sequence of elements, then List is a good choice.
  • A Dictionary represents a generic set of KeyValue pairs with each row represented by a unique Key mapped to a value.
  • Dictionary is used in cases where the emphasis is on quickly looking up for a value since a Dictionary offers constant time lookup.
  • The choice of using a List or a Dictionary depends on the requirement, since both serve different purposes.
  • A List represents a dynamic linear sequence of elements, and offers index-based access along with utility methods such as Add, Remove, Count, Min, Max and so on based on the type of the objects being added to the List.
  • If the emphasis is on manipulating the sequence of elements, then List is a good choice.
  • A Dictionary represents a generic set of KeyValue pairs with each row represented by a unique Key mapped to a value.
  • Dictionary is used in cases where the emphasis is on quickly looking up for a value since a Dictionary offers constant time lookup.

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Ram

I'm a full-stack developer and a software enthusiast who likes to play around with cloud and tech stack out of curiosity. You can connect with me on Medium, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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