iterating

In Linux Bash, arrays are fundamental tools that let you store multiple values in a single variable. However, not all arrays are created equal. While typical arrays store data continuously, sparse arrays allow certain indices to be missing. This flexibility can be incredibly useful in various scenarios, such as when handling datasets with missing elements or optimizing memory usage in large-scale applications. In this blog post, I'll guide you through how to create and manipulate sparse arrays in Bash, ensuring you can handle them confidently in your scripts. Q: What exactly is a sparse array? A sparse array is an array in which not all elements are necessarily present.