midScala
What are Scala collections performance characteristics?
Updated May 24, 2026
Short answer
Different collections have different time complexities.
Deep explanation
List is O(n) for access, Vector is near O(1) for most operations, HashMap provides O(1) average lookup.
Real-world example
Choosing correct structure improves system performance.
Common mistakes
- Using List for random access workloads.
Follow-up questions
- When to use Vector over List?
- Are immutable collections slower?