What does “enqueue” and “dequeue” mean?

In computing and information technology, “enqueue” and “dequeue” refer to operations performed on queues, which are data structures used to store collections of objects. These operations are central to managing how data is processed, stored, and retrieved in various computing systems, especially those requiring sequential processing or managing resources like printer tasks, CPU scheduling, or network packet management.

– Enqueue is the action of adding an object or item to the back (or tail) of the queue. When you enqueue an item, it gets placed in line for processing, waiting its turn behind other items that were enqueued before it. This operation increases the size of the queue by one. Enqueue operations are critical in scenarios where items or tasks need to be processed in the order they arrive or are submitted.

– Dequeue is the action of removing an object or item from the front (or head) of the queue. The item that is dequeued is the one that has been in the queue the longest, adhering to the First-In, First-Out (FIFO) principle. This means the first item that was enqueued will be the first one to be dequeued. Dequeue operations are crucial in managing the order of tasks or the flow of data, ensuring that each item is processed in a timely and sequential manner. When you dequeue an item, the size of the queue decreases by one.