Data Structures & Algorithms Roadmap

A structured path to mastering DSA - from understanding basics to solving complex problems efficiently.

Roadmap Visual

 graph TD
    A[Start: DSA] --> B[Level 1: Fundamentals]
    B --> C[Level 2: Basic Data Structures]
    C --> D[Level 3: Advanced Data Structures]
    D --> E[Level 4: Algorithm Techniques]
    E --> F[Level 5: Advanced Algorithms]
    F --> G[Expert: Competitive Programming]
    
    B --> B1[Time/Space Complexity]
    B --> B2[Arrays & Strings]
    
    C --> C1[Stacks & Queues]
    C --> C2[Linked Lists]
    C --> C3[Trees & Graphs]
    
    D --> D1[Heaps & Priority Queues]
    D --> D2[Tries]
    D --> D3[Segment Trees]
    
    E --> E1[Sorting & Searching]
    E --> E2[Dynamic Programming]
    E --> E3[Greedy]
    
    F --> F1[Graph Algorithms]
    F --> F2[Advanced DP]
    F --> F3[String Algorithms]

Level 1: Fundamentals (2-3 weeks)

Complexity Analysis

• Time complexity (Big O notation)
• Space complexity
• Best, Average, Worst case analysis

Basic Problem Solving

• Arrays and two-pointer technique
• String manipulation
• Basic math problems

Resources:

• 📚 Big O Cheat Sheet
• 🎥 Time Complexity Explained
• 💻 LeetCode Easy Problems

Practice (50 problems):

• Arrays (20), Strings (15), Math (15)

Level 2: Basic Data Structures (4-5 weeks)

Stacks & Queues

• Implementation
• Applications (parentheses matching, BFS)

Linked Lists

• Singly, doubly, circular
• Operations and problems

Trees

• Binary trees, BST
• Tree traversals (inorder, preorder, postorder)

Graphs

• Representations (adjacency list/matrix)
• BFS and DFS

Resources:

• 📚 VisuAlgo - Visualize data structures
• 📘 Introduction to Algorithms (CLRS)
• 💻 GeeksforGeeks DSA Course

Practice (100 problems):

• Stacks (15), Queues (15), Linked Lists (25), Trees (25), Graphs (20)

Level 3: Advanced Data Structures (3-4 weeks)

Heaps & Priority Queues

Hash Tables

Tries

Disjoint Set Union (Union-Find)

Practice (75 problems)

Level 4: Algorithm Techniques (5-6 weeks)

Recursion & Backtracking

Two Pointers & Sliding Window

Greedy Algorithms

Dynamic Programming

Binary Search

Practice (150 problems)

Level 5: Advanced Topics (4-6 weeks)

Advanced Graph Algorithms

• Dijkstra, Bellman-Ford
• Floyd-Warshall
• MST (Prim's, Kruskal's)
• Topological Sort

String Algorithms

• KMP, Rabin-Karp
• Suffix arrays, Z-algorithm

Advanced DP Patterns

Practice (100 problems)

Practice Resources

• LeetCode: leetcode.com - 2000+ problems
• Codeforces: codeforces.com - Contests
• CodeChef: codechef.com - Monthly contests
• HackerRank: hackerrank.com - Skill tracks

Recommended Problem Sets

Beginner (0-200 problems):

• LeetCode Easy (100)
• HackerRank Easy (50)
• GeeksforGeeks School level (50)

Intermediate (200-500 problems):

• LeetCode Medium (200)
• Codeforces Div 2 (C problems)
• CodeChef Division 3/2

Advanced (500+ problems):

• LeetCode Hard
• Codeforces Div 1
• CodeChef Division 1

More details and problem lists available on our DSA Practice Platform!