All Contiguous-Container and View Relationships

All Contiguous-Container and View Relationships

A compact scan page for how vector, array, string, string_view, span, and mdspan relate through contiguous storage and borrowing semantics.

How to use this reference page

Use reference pages to confirm names, categories, nearby facilities, and the constraints that matter before writing or reviewing code.

Scan the top of the page first to identify the primary types, functions, or algorithm families involved.
Use the nearby-page links when your question is really about a companion header, related algorithm family, or broader subsystem.
Validate tricky behavior with a small compileable example before relying on memory for details like invalidation, ordering, allocation, or lifetime rules.

All Contiguous-Container and View Relationships

Owning contiguous containers

std::vector
std::array
std::basic_string

Non-owning contiguous views

std::span
std::string_view
std::mdspan

Typical relationships

a vector, array, or string can expose a contiguous buffer through data()
span can borrow contiguous elements from arrays, vectors, and similar storage
string_view borrows character sequences without ownership
mdspan layers multidimensional indexing over existing storage rather than owning it

Practical rules

keep lifetimes explicit because views do not extend ownership
use owning containers for storage and views for API boundaries or slicing
remember that mutation and reallocation in the owner can invalidate existing views

Example in practice

#include <map>
#include <string>

int main() {
    std::map<std::string, int> counts{std::pair{"Ada", 1}, std::pair{"Bjarne", 2}};
    auto [it, inserted] = counts.insert({"Grace", 3});
    return inserted ? it->second : 1;
}