Java: Difference Between a collection and 'Data Structure' [closed]

Answer 1

A data structure is a generic term for an object that represents some sort of data, so a linked list, array, etc are all data structures. A collection in the Java sense refers to any class that implements the Collection interface. A collection in a generic sense is just a group of objects.

Answer 2

A data structure is how the data is represented inside the storage in memory. A collection is how it can be accessed. I stress on the word "can".

If you store data in a LinkedList and sort it, the performance will drop. The same algorithm if you use a ArrayList the performance will enhance. Just by changing the way its represented in memory will help various factors.

You "can" access it using a collection representation, you "can" also use the "index" to access the data. You "can" also go getFirst, getNext, getPrev.

Your confusion is between internal storage and accessing the storage. Separate the 2.

Answer 3

A data structure has the notion of some kind of schema, e.g. a representation of a house would list things like square footage, bedrooms, etc. That's what's usually meant there: how is the structure of the domain represented as data?

A collection is, as Jeff says, just a set of objects. Collections do have structure, but their structure is solely organizational, e.g. a Tree, or a List or a LinkedList.