#define TABLE_SIZE 10007 // A prime number for better distribution
), rehash every existing item into the new array, and free the old memory. Feature Summary Table Recommendation Hash Function FNV-1a or djb2 Fast with excellent distribution for string keys. Collision Handling Separate Chaining Easier to manage deletions and avoids clustering. Resizing Rule Load Factor > 0.75 Balances memory usage with average time complexity. Growth Strategy Double Table Size Amortizes the cost of rehashing. For a complete reference, you can look at the K & R C implementation which uses a fixed-size table with chaining for simplicity. Stack Overflow code example combining these features into a single C file? How to implement a hash table (in C) - Ben Hoyt c program to implement dictionary using hashing algorithms
void destroy_table(HashTable *ht) if (!ht) return; for (size_t i = 0; i < ht->capacity; ++i) Node *cur = ht->buckets[i]; while (cur) Node *next = cur->next; free(cur->key); free(cur); cur = next; #define TABLE_SIZE 10007 // A prime number for
: Since different keys can hash to the same index, strategies like Separate Chaining (linked lists at each index) or Linear Probing (finding the next open slot) are required. Implementation in C (Separate Chaining) Resizing Rule Load Factor > 0
int index = hash_function(key) % table->size;
: Each entry requires extra memory for a pointer to the next node.