Last Updated on August 23, 2022 by Gokul Kannan
Circular Queue
It is a linear data structure that works on the principle of FIFO (First in First out). In this type of queue element can be added in any position or can be deleted from any position in the array but we have to maintain the pointers which will point towards the front and rear end of the queue. In this queue, the rear end can be at any point in the array.
Priority Queue
Priority queues are abstract data structures where each element in the queue has a priority value. For example, in any airline, baggage under the “First-Class” or “Business” arrives before other baggage. A priority Queue is a type of queue that follows the given below properties:
- An item with higher priority will be dequeued before the item with lower priority.
- If two elements present in the priority queue are having the same priority, then they will be served according to the order in which they are present in the queue.
The priority queue is widely used in many applications like job scheduling algorithms, CPU and Disk scheduling, and managing various resources shared between different processes, etc.
How is the Priority Value assigned in the Priority Queue?
Usually, an element’s value is considered for assigning the priority. For example, the element with bigger value will have a higher priority than the element with lower value. We can also set priorities according to our demand.
| S.no | Circular Queue | Priority Queue |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | As the name suggests, a circular queue is circular in storing the elements in it. | In the priority queue, elements are inserted and deleted on the basis of their priority. |
| 2. | Also known as a ring buffer. | Also known as a simple queue. |
| 3. | Elements can be enqueued or dequeued from the queue in O(1) time. | Three main operations are insert, delete and display. |
| 4. | Both the front and rear pointer wrap around to the beginning of the array. | It does not allow elements in sorted array. |
| 5. | It conquers the problem of linear queue. | It allows duplicate elements. |
| 6. | Less memory is required. | More Memory is required. |
| 7. | More efficient. | Less Efficient. |
This article tried to discuss the Difference between Circular Queue and Priority Queue. Hope this blog helps you understand the concept. To practice problems you can check out MYCODE | Competitive Programming at Prepbytes