Vector in C++ STL

Last Updated : 11 Oct, 2024

Vectors are the same as dynamic arrays (mảng động) with the ability
to resize themselves automatically (tự thay đổi kích thước) when an
element is inserted or deleted, with their storage being handled
automatically by the container. Vector elements are placed in
contiguous storage so that they can be accessed and traversed
using iterators.
In vectors, data is inserted at the end. Inserting at the end takes
differential time, as sometimes the array may need to be extended.
Removing the last element takes only constant time because no
resizing happens. Inserting and erasing at the beginning or in the
middle is linear in time.
What is std::vector in C++?
std::vector in C++ is the class template that contains the vector
container and its member functions. It is defined inside
the <vector> header file. The member functions of the std::vector
class provide various functionalities to vector containers.
Key Characteristics of Vectors
 Dynamic Sizing: Vectors automatically resize when you
add or remove elements. This flexibility is one of the main
reasons vectors are preferred over traditional arrays in
many situations.
 Efficient Access: Since vector elements are stored in
contiguous memory locations, you can access elements in
constant time using their index, similar to arrays.
 Insertion and Deletion: Insertion of elements is typically
done at the end of the vector, where it operates in constant
time. However, inserting or deleting elements at the
beginning or middle of the vector takes linear time due to
the need to shift elements
Syntax to Declare Vector in C++
std::vector<dataType> vectorName;
where the data type is the type of data of each element of the
vector. You can remove the std:: if you have already used the std
namespace.
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Initialization of Vector in C++
We can initialize a vector in the following ways:
1. Initialization Using List
This initialization is done with a declaration. Here, we pass the list of
elements to the vector constructor to create a vector with the
specified elements.
vector<dataType> name({ value1, value2, value3 ....});
2. Initialization With a Single Value
This initialization is also done with declaration. Here, we specify the
size of the vector and then initialize every element of the vector
with the value.
vector<dataType> name(size, value);
3. Initialization From Another Vector
This initialization is used to create a vector that is an exact copy of
other_vec.
vector<dataType> name(other_vec);
Commonly Used Member Functions
Some commonly used member functions of std::vector class are
written below:
Iterators
1. begin() – Returns an iterator pointing to the first element in
the vector
2. end() – Returns an iterator pointing to the theoretical
element that follows the last element in the vector
3. rbegin() – Returns a reverse iterator pointing to the last
element in the vector (reverse beginning). It moves from
last to first element
4. rend() – Returns a reverse iterator pointing to the theoretical
element preceding the first element in the vector
(considered as reverse end)
5. cbegin() – Returns a constant iterator pointing to the first
element in the vector.
 6. cend() – Returns a constant iterator pointing to the
theoretical element that follows the last element in the
vector.
7. crbegin() – Returns a constant reverse iterator pointing to
the last element in the vector (reverse beginning). It moves
from last to first element
8. crend() – Returns a constant reverse iterator pointing to the
theoretical element preceding the first element in the vector
(considered as reverse end)
C++
// C++ program to illustrate the
// iterators in vector
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>

using namespace std;

int main()
{
vector<int> g1;

for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++)

g1.push_back(i);

cout << "Output of begin and end: ";

for (auto i = g1.begin(); i != g1.end(); ++i)
cout << *i << " ";

cout << "\nOutput of cbegin and cend: ";

for (auto i = g1.cbegin(); i != g1.cend(); ++i)
cout << *i << " ";

cout << "\nOutput of rbegin and rend: ";

for (auto ir = g1.rbegin(); ir != g1.rend(); ++ir)
cout << *ir << " ";

cout << "\nOutput of crbegin and crend : ";

for (auto ir = g1.crbegin(); ir != g1.crend(); ++ir)
cout << *ir << " ";

return 0;
}

Output
Output of begin and end: 1 2 3 4 5
Output of cbegin and cend: 1 2 3 4 5
Output of rbegin and rend: 5 4 3 2 1
Output of crbegin and crend : 5 4 3 2 1
Capacity
1. size() – Returns the number of elements in the vector.
2. max_size() – Returns the maximum number of elements that
the vector can hold.
3. capacity() – Returns the size of the storage space currently
allocated to the vector expressed as number of elements.
4. resize(n) – Resizes the container so that it contains ‘n’
elements.
5. empty() – Returns whether the container is empty.
6. shrink_to_fit() – Reduces the capacity of the container to fit
its size and destroys all elements beyond the capacity.
7. reserve() – Requests that the vector capacity be at least
enough to contain n elements.
C++
// C++ program to illustrate the
// capacity function in vector
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>

using namespace std;

int main()
{
vector<int> g1;

for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++)

g1.push_back(i);

cout << "Size : " << g1.size();

cout << "\nCapacity : " << g1.capacity();
cout << "\nMax_Size : " << g1.max_size();

// resizes the vector size to 4

g1.resize(4);

// prints the vector size after resize()

cout << "\nSize : " << g1.size();

// checks if the vector is empty or not

if (g1.empty() == false)
cout << "\nVector is not empty";
 else
cout << "\nVector is empty";

// Shrinks the vector

g1.shrink_to_fit();
cout << "\nVector elements are: ";
for (auto it = g1.begin(); it != g1.end(); it++)
cout << *it << " ";

return 0;
}

Output
Size : 5
Capacity : 8
Max_Size : 4611686018427387903
Size : 4
Vector is not empty
Vector elements are: 1 2 3 4
Element access
1. reference operator [g] – Returns a reference to the element
at position ‘g’ in the vector
2. at(g) – Returns a reference to the element at position ‘g’ in
the vector
3. front() – Returns a reference to the first element in the
vector
4. back() – Returns a reference to the last element in the
vector
5. data() – Returns a direct pointer to the memory array used
internally by the vector to store its owned elements.
C++
// C++ program to illustrate the
// element access in vector
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
vector<int> g1;

for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++)

g1.push_back(i * 10);
 cout << "\nReference operator [g] : g1[2] = " << g1[2];

cout << "\nat : g1.at(4) = " << g1.at(4);

cout << "\nfront() : g1.front() = " << g1.front();

cout << "\nback() : g1.back() = " << g1.back();

// pointer to the first element

int* pos = g1.data();

cout << "\nThe first element is " << *pos;

return 0;
}

Output
Reference operator [g] : g1[2] = 30
at : g1.at(4) = 50
front() : g1.front() = 10
back() : g1.back() = 100
The first element is 10
Modifiers
1. assign() – It assigns new value to the vector elements by
replacing old ones
2. push_back() – It push the elements into a vector from the
back
3. pop_back() – It is used to pop or remove elements from a
vector from the back.
4. insert() – It inserts new elements before the element at the
specified position
5. erase() – It is used to remove elements from a container
from the specified position or range.
6. swap() – It is used to swap the contents of one vector with
another vector of same type. Sizes may differ.
7. clear() – It is used to remove all the elements of the vector
container
8. emplace() – It extends the container by inserting new
element at position
 9. emplace_back() – It is used to insert a new element into the
vector container, the new element is added to the end of the
vector
C++
// C++ program to illustrate the
// Modifiers in vector
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
#include <vector>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
// Assign vector
vector<int> v;

// fill the vector with 10 five times

v.assign(5, 10);

cout << "The vector elements are: ";

for (int i = 0; i < v.size(); i++)
cout << v[i] << " ";

// inserts 15 to the last position

v.push_back(15);
int n = v.size();
cout << "\nThe last element is: " << v[n - 1];

// removes last element

v.pop_back();

// prints the vector

cout << "\nThe vector elements are: ";
for (int i = 0; i < v.size(); i++)
cout << v[i] << " ";

// inserts 5 at the beginning

v.insert(v.begin(), 5);

cout << "\nThe first element is: " << v[0];

// removes the first element

v.erase(v.begin());

cout << "\nThe first element is: " << v[0];

// inserts at the beginning

v.emplace(v.begin(), 5);
 cout << "\nThe first element is: " << v[0];

// Inserts 20 at the end

v.emplace_back(20);
n = v.size();
cout << "\nThe last element is: " << v[n - 1];

// erases the vector

v.clear();
cout << "\nVector size after clear(): " << v.size();

// two vector to perform swap

vector<int> v1, v2;
v1.push_back(1);
v1.push_back(2);
v2.push_back(3);
v2.push_back(4);

cout << "\n\nVector 1: ";

for (int i = 0; i < v1.size(); i++)
cout << v1[i] << " ";

cout << "\nVector 2: ";

for (int i = 0; i < v2.size(); i++)
cout << v2[i] << " ";

// Swaps v1 and v2
v1.swap(v2);

cout << "\nAfter Swap \nVector 1: ";

for (int i = 0; i < v1.size(); i++)
cout << v1[i] << " ";

cout << "\nVector 2: ";

for (int i = 0; i < v2.size(); i++)
cout << v2[i] << " ";
}

Output
The vector elements are: 10 10 10 10 10
The last element is: 15
The vector elements are: 10 10 10 10 10
The first element is: 5
The first element is: 10
The first element is: 5
The last element is: 20
Vector size after erase(): 0

Vector 1: 1 2
Vector 2: 3 4
After Swap
Vector 1: 3 4
Vector 2: 1 2
Time Complexity Considerations
The time complexity for doing various operations on vectors is-
 Random access – constant O(1)
 Insertion or removal of elements at the end – constant
O(1)
 Insertion or removal of elements – linear in the distance
to the end of the vector O(N)
 Knowing the size – constant O(1)
 Resizing the vector– Linear O(N)
All Member Functions of std::vector
Following is the list of all member functions of std::vector class in
C++:
Vector
Function Description

push_back() Adds an element to the end of the vector.

pop_back() Removes the last element of the vector.

size() Returns the number of elements in the vector.

max_size() Returns the maximum number of elements that the vector can hold.

resize() Changes the size of the vector.

empty() Checks if the vector is empty.

 Vector
Function Description

operator[] Accesses the element at a specific position.

at() Accesses the element at a specific position, with bounds checking.

front() Accesses the first element of the vector.

back() Accesses the last element of the vector.

begin() Returns an iterator pointing to the first element of the vector.

end() Returns an iterator pointing to the past-the-end element of the vector.

rbegin() Returns a reverse iterator pointing to the last element of the vector.

Returns a reverse iterator pointing to the element preceding the first

rend() element of the vector.

cbegin Returns const_iterator to beginning

cend Returns const_iterator to end

crbegin Returns const_reverse_iterator to reverse beginning

crend Returns const_reverse_iterator to reverse end

insert() Inserts elements at a specific position in the vector.

erase() Removes elements from a specific position or range in the vector.

swap() Swaps the contents of the vector with those of another vector.
 Vector
Function Description

clear() Removes all elements from the vector.

emplace() Constructs and inserts an element in the vector.

emplace_back() Constructs and inserts an element at the end of the vector.

assign() Assigns new values to the vector elements by replacing old ones.

capacity() Returns the size of the storage space currently allocated to the vector.

Requests that the vector capacity be at least enough to contain a

reserve() specified number of elements.

shrink_to_fit() Reduces memory usage by freeing unused space.

Returns a direct pointer to the memory array used internally by the

data() vector to store its owned elements.

get_allocator Returns a copy of the allocator object associated with the vector.

Must Read:
 How to Check if a Vector Contains a Given Element in C++?
 How to find index of a given element in a Vector in C++
 Sorting a vector in C++