Things Not To Do with Hash Tables in C Programming

Using a poor hash function can lead to high collision rates, significantly affecting the performance of a hash table. Always strive for a hash function that distributes keys uniformly.

Collisions in hash tables are inevitable. Always implement a robust method to resolve collisions, such as chaining or open addressing.

When resizing a hash table, it's crucial to rehash all existing items according to the new table size to maintain proper data distribution.

When using chaining to handle collisions, ensure to properly free all linked list nodes when clearing the hash table to avoid memory leaks.

Maintain an appropriate load factor to ensure efficient access times. Too high a load factor increases collision rates, degrading performance.

If user input directly affects the hash function, consider the implications of hash flooding, where an attacker provides many inputs that hash to the same value, degrading performance.

A good resizing strategy helps maintain optimal performance and minimizes the number of rehash operations needed as items are added or removed.