In computer programming, a collection is an abstract data type that is a grouping of items that can be used in a polymorphic way.

Often, the items are of the same data type such as int or string. Sometimes the items derive from a common type; even deriving from the most general type of a programming language such as object or variant.

Although easily confused with implementations in programming languages, collection, as an abstract concept, refers to mathematical concepts which can be misunderstood when the focus is on an implementation. For example, a priority queue is often implemented as a heap, while an associative array is often implemented as a hash table, so these abstract types are often referred to by this preferred implementation, as a "heap" or a "hash", though this is incorrect conceptually.

Other abstract data types are more specific than collection.

Some collections maintain a linear ordering of items – with access to one or both ends. The data structure implementing such a collection need not be linear. For example, a priority queue is often implemented as a heap, which is a kind of tree.

Notable linear collections include:

Some collections are interpreted as a sort of function: given an input, the collection yields an output.

Notable associative collections include: