I always find it interesting how often the simplest hash table layouts end up performing best in real workloads. Once you avoid pointer chasing and keep everything in a compact array, CPU caches do most of the heavy lifting.
It’s also a good reminder that clarity of layout often beats more “clever” designs, especially when the dataset fits comfortably in memory.
It’s also a good reminder that clarity of layout often beats more “clever” designs, especially when the dataset fits comfortably in memory.