LIFO

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In a stack, the topmost item, which is added last, is taken out first. Hence a stack is a LIFO structure.

LIFO stands for last in, first out which in computer science and queuing theory refers to the way items stored in a data structure are processed. The last data to be added to the structure will be the first data to be removed. LIFO mechanisms include data structures such as stacks. Sometimes the term FILO ("first in, last out") is used synonymously.

A LIFO structure can be illustrated with the example of a crowded elevator. When the elevator reaches its destination, the last people to get on are typically the first to get off.

See also

• FIFO (First in, first out)
• Stack Data Structure

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