SSTF, or Shortest Seek Time First, is a disk scheduling algorithm used in computer operating systems. It prioritizes disk I/O requests based on their proximity to the current position of the disk's read/write head. By serving the closest request first, SSTF minimizes the time the head spends moving, which can improve overall system performance. This algorithm is particularly effective in reducing latency for disk operations. However, it can lead to a problem known as "starvation," where some requests may wait indefinitely if they are consistently farther away from the current head position. SSTF is one of several algorithms, including FCFS and SCAN, used to manage disk scheduling.