The Aho-Corasick Automaton is an efficient algorithm used for searching multiple patterns simultaneously within a text. It constructs a finite state machine (FSM) from a set of keywords, allowing for rapid pattern matching. The process involves two main phases: building the automaton and searching through the text.
Building the Automaton: This phase involves creating a trie from the input keywords and then augmenting it with failure links that provide fallback states when a character match fails. This structure allows the automaton to continue searching without restarting from the beginning of the text.
Searching: During the search phase, the text is processed character by character. The automaton efficiently transitions between states based on the current character and the established failure links, allowing it to report all occurrences of the keywords in linear time relative to the length of the text plus the number of matches found.
Overall, the Aho-Corasick algorithm is particularly useful in applications like text processing, intrusion detection systems, and DNA sequencing, where multiple patterns need to be identified quickly and accurately.
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