GCSE Link: None
An abstract data type (ADT) is a conceptual model of a collection of items and the operations that can be performed on that collection.
ADTs will usually include pseudocode, because they are independent of implementations in any programming languages.
A data structure is an implementation of an ADT: it is used to combine data under a single identifier.
We will learn more about the different types of data structures in this chapter.
What is the difference between an ADT and a data structure?
An ADT specifies the operations and behaviour of a data type, independent of implementation. A data structure is a concrete way of organising and storing data in memory, used to implement an ADT. ADTs define "what" and data structures define "how."