minpriority

Minpriority is a term used in computing to denote the minimum priority level assigned to tasks, messages, or events within a system. In many priority schemes, smaller numeric values indicate higher priority, so the minimum priority value corresponds to the most urgent item.

In data structures, a min-priority queue is a collection that orders elements by their priority so that the element with the smallest key is available for retrieval. Common operations include insert, find-min, extract-min, and decrease-key. A typical implementation uses a min-heap, which provides logarithmic time for insert and extract-min. The concept contrasts with a max-priority queue, where the largest key is retrieved first.

Programming languages and libraries expose min-priority behavior in different ways. Java’s PriorityQueue implements a min-heap by default, while C++’s std::priority_queue is a max-heap unless configured with a different comparator, such as std::greater, to achieve a min-heap behavior. Other languages may offer explicit min- or max-priority queue abstractions or allow custom comparators.

Common applications include pathfinding and graph algorithms (for example, Dijkstra’s algorithm uses a min-priority queue to repeatedly select the vertex with the smallest tentative distance), event simulation, and operating-system task scheduling where a minimum-priority level helps define urgency or aging strategies.

Notes and caveats: the exact meaning of minpriority can vary by context; some systems invert the priority scale (where higher numbers are more urgent). When implementing, consult the specific documentation to understand the priority semantics and supported operations.