How do I provide stable iteration order with std::unordered_map for large datasets?

To achieve a stable iteration order with std::unordered_map in C++, you can utilize std::vector to store the keys and then sort them when iterating. This approach provides a deterministic iteration order, especially useful for large datasets where consistent ordering is required.

Here's an example to illustrate this approach:

#include <iostream> #include <unordered_map> #include <vector> #include <algorithm> int main() { std::unordered_map<std::string, int> my_map = { {"apple", 1}, {"banana", 2}, {"cherry", 3} }; // Store keys in a vector std::vector<std::string> keys; for (const auto& pair : my_map) { keys.push_back(pair.first); } // Sort the keys std::sort(keys.begin(), keys.end()); // Iterate in stable order for (const auto& key : keys) { std::cout << key << ": " << my_map[key] << std::endl; } return 0; }

C++ std::unordered_map stable iteration large datasets consistent ordering std::vector