The Ultimate Guide to Python Data Structures: From Basics to Advanced Explained Simply

Learn to master essential Python data structures like stacks, queues, trees, and graphs—explained in terms you can understand.

When people first start learning Python, they usually get pretty comfortable with the basics like lists, tuples, dictionaries, and sets.

But once your projects start getting a bit more complicated—especially if you're working with algorithms, data analysis, or building things behind the scenes—you’ll start needing more advanced data structures.

In this article, I’ll be walking you through six important data structures that every programmer should know once they’ve got the basics down. I’ll cover Queues, Stacks, Linked Lists, Trees, Graphs, and Hash Tables.

Some of these will have videos I made, others will be covered in more depth soon.

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I felt writing this was a good fit as in my series: Python Roadmap to Success, I just spent two weeks breaking down the built-in data structures for Python. This will focus on more advanced structures, for you my readers.

You’ll learn what they are, when to use them, and how to build them in Python. We’ll keep things clear with examples, real-life comparisons, and step-by-step help along the way.

You’ll also get my handcrafted Data Structures Guide as well as some interactive videos surrounding certain data structures we talk about today. I will spend some time exploring some of these in more depth in the coming weeks, this is just to scratch the surface.

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Why Bother Learning Advanced Data Structures?