Compression
If node has only one child, merge them. Edge stores multi-char label instead of single char.
Advertisement
Insert splitting edges
New key shares prefix with existing edge? Split the edge at the divergence point. Create branch node.
Advertisement
Applications
Linux kernel IP routing (fib_trie). Redis dict internals for smaller keys. Prefix-based storage.
Adaptive Radix Tree (ART)
Modern variant: nodes have 4, 16, 48, or 256 slots depending on children count. Cache-friendly. Basis of HyPer + Umbra DBs.