What are the advantages of using associative arrays over traditional linked lists in PHP?

Using associative arrays in PHP provides faster access to data compared to traditional linked lists. This is because associative arrays use keys to directly access values, while linked lists require traversing the list to find a specific element. Additionally, associative arrays allow for more flexibility in data storage and manipulation, as they can store key-value pairs of any data type.

// Using associative arrays for faster access to data
$student = [
    'name' => 'John Doe',
    'age' => 20,
    'grade' => 'A'
];

echo $student['name']; // Output: John Doe