By default, use vector as the default sequential container in C++. This is the equivalent of List<T> in other languages.

vector<string> v;  
v.push_back( "Geddy Lee" );  
  

Use map (not unordered_map) as the default associative container. Use set, multimap, multiset for degenerate & multi cases.

map<string, string> phone_book;  
// ...  
phone_book["Alex Lifeson"] = "+1 (416) 555-1212";  
  

When performance optimization is needed, consider using:

1. the array type when embedding is important - for example, as a class member.

2. unordered associative containers (unordered_map, et al.): Lower per-element overhead (major) and constant-time lookup (potentially major, sometimes minor). Harder to use correctly and efficiently, because of inconveniences and sharp edges.

3. sorted vector. (See: Algorithms.)

Don’t use C arrays. (For older APIs, use f( vec.data(), vec.size() ); .)

For another article about containers, see STL Containers.

The following tables show the container sizes, in bytes, for x86 and x64 platforms. (For these purposes, 32-bit ARM is equivalent to x86.) These tables cover release mode, because debug mode contains checking machinery that consumes space and time. The separate columns are for [!INCLUDEcpp_orcas_long] SP1, where _SECURE_SCL defaulted to 1, and for [!INCLUDEcpp_orcas_long] SP1 with _SECURE_SCL manually set to 0 for maximum speed. Visual C++ in Visual Studio 2010, [!INCLUDEcpp_dev11_long], and [!INCLUDEcpp_dev12_long] default _SECURE_SCL to 0 (now known as _ITERATOR_DEBUG_LEVEL).

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