AI engineering glossary · Data structures algorithms
What is ADT (abstract data type)?
Abstract data type (also called ADT): A description of a data structure by what operations it supports and how they behave, without saying how it is stored. Several concrete structures can implement the same one, which lets code depend on behaviour rather than layout.
Abstract data type: an example
A queue promises 'add at the back, remove from the front'. You can build it from a linked list or a circular buffer without changing the code that uses it.
Related terms
More Data structures algorithms terms
Where you learn it
Abstract data type is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.