What are the performance characteristics of C++ STL algorithms?

What are the performance characteristics of C++ STL algorithms?

C++ STL algorithms vary in performance based on their complexity and the data structures they operate on. For example, sorting algorithms like std::sort have an average time complexity of O(n log n).

How does the performance of std::sort compare to std::stable_sort?

std::sort is generally faster than std::stable_sort because it doesn't maintain the relative order of equivalent elements, while std::stable_sort has a time complexity of O(n log n) but ensures stability.

Are there specific scenarios where I should prefer one over the other?

Yes, if you need to maintain the order of equal elements, use std::stable_sort. Otherwise, for better performance, std::sort is preferable.

What about the performance of searching algorithms in STL?

For searching, std::find has a linear time complexity of O(n), while std::binary_search is O(log n) but requires the data to be sorted.