Linked List meaning in DSA

A linked list is a linear data structure used for storing a sequence of elements, where each element is stored in a node that contains both the element and a pointer to the next node in the sequence.

Linked List

Types of linked lists:

Linked lists can be classified in the following categories

1. Singly Linked List: This type of linked list consists of nodes that have a reference only to the next node in the list.
2. Doubly Linked List: In a doubly linked list, each node has references to both the next and previous nodes in the list. 
3. Circular Linked List: This type of linked list is similar to a singly linked list, but the last node’s reference points to the first node, creating a circular structure.

To learn more about types of linked lists, refer to this article.

Characteristics of Linked Lists:

Linked lists have several properties that make them useful for a variety of applications. These properties include:

• Dynamic Size: Linked lists can grow or shrink dynamically based on the number of elements in the list.
• Efficient Insertion and Deletion: Linked lists are efficient for insertion and deletion operations because only the affected nodes need to be modified.
• Sequential Access: Accessing elements in a linked list must be done sequentially from the beginning of the list.
• Flexible Implementation: Linked lists can be implemented in various ways, such as singly linked, doubly linked, or circular linked, to meet the specific requirements of the application.
• Unordered Elements: Elements in a linked list are not stored in any specific order.
• Pointer Overhead: Each node in a linked list requires an additional pointer to refer to the next node in the list.

Applications of Linked Lists:

Linked lists are a versatile data structure that can be used in a variety of applications, including:

• Implementation of Stacks and Queues: Stacks and queues are commonly implemented using linked lists because of their efficient insertion and deletion operations.
• Dynamic Memory Allocation: Linked lists are often used in programming languages for dynamic memory allocation, where memory is allocated and deallocated as needed during program execution.
• Hash Tables: Some implementations of hash tables use linked lists to handle collisions between keys.
• Music and Video Playback: Linked lists are used to implement playlists in music and video players. Each song or video is represented by a node in the list, and the links between nodes determine the playback order.
• Web Browsers: Linked lists are used in web browsers to keep track of the history of visited web pages, allowing the user to navigate backward and forward through the browsing history.

To learn more about the applications of linked lists, refer to this article.

Advantages of Linked Lists:

Linked lists offer several advantages over other data structures, including:

• Dynamic Memory Allocation: Linked lists allow for dynamic memory allocation, which means that memory can be allocated and deallocated as needed during program execution.
• Efficient Insertion and Deletion: Linked lists are efficient for insertion and deletion operations, as they require only changing the links between nodes.
• Flexible Implementation: Linked lists can be implemented in various ways, such as singly linked, doubly linked, or circular linked, to meet the specific requirements of the application.
• Dynamic Data Structures: Linked lists are dynamic data structures, which means they can grow or shrink dynamically as the data changes. This makes them suitable for applications where the size of the data may change over time.

To learn more about the advantages, refer to this article.

Disadvantages of Linked Lists:

While linked lists offer several advantages, they also have some disadvantages, including:

• Sequential Access: Accessing elements in a linked list must be done sequentially from the beginning of the list. This makes linked lists less efficient than arrays for random access operations.
• Memory Overhead: Each node in a linked list requires an additional pointer to reference the next node in the list.
• Lack of Contiguity: Linked lists are implemented using non-contiguous memory allocation, which can result in decreased cache performance and slower access times compared to contiguous data structures.
• Inefficient Search Operations: Searching for an element in a linked list requires sequential access, which can make search operations less efficient.

To learn more about the disadvantages, refer to this article.

What else can you read?

• What is Linked List?
• Types of Linked List
• Introduction to Linked List – Data Structure and Algorithm Tutorials
• Applications, Advantages and Disadvantages of Linked List