Last Updated: 20 January, 2025 5 Mins Read
Hey, In this article we are going to learn all about Singly Linked List in detail and their structure, which allows for each node to point to the next node of the list. Further we will see its operations, complexity, implementation, advantages, disadvantages and more.
A Singly Linked List is a linear (ordered) data structure that contains a collection of elements, and each element is connected to its next element in a sequence.
Each element in a singly linked list is called a Node. The node consists of two fields: a data field and the reference field (address of the next node).
There is a HEAD pointer, which points to the first node of the singly linked list, and if the list is empty, then it stores NULL and the last node is called the Tail, and it stores NULL in the reference field (next).
A singly linked list can traverse only in the forward direction because each node contains the address of the next node.
In the above example, the Node class represents a single element of the linked list, and the SinglyLinkedList class is used to create a linked list, insert a node in the list, and display the elements of the linked list.
Dynamic data structure: A linked list is a dynamic data structure, which means it can grow and shrink at runtime by allocating and deallocating memory. Hence, there is no need for initial size.
No memory wastage: A linked list efficiently utilizes memory; the size of the linked list increases or decreases at run time, so there is no memory wastage, and there is no need to pre-allocate the memory.
Easy Implementation: Data structures like stacks and queues can be easily implemented using linked lists.
Insertion and Deletion Operations: Insertion and deletion operations are quite easier in the linked list. There is no need to shift elements after the insertion or deletion of an element; only the address present in the next pointer needs to be updated.
Flexible: In a linked list, elements are not stored in contiguous memory locations, unlike the array, which makes it flexible.
Efficient for large data: When working with large datasets, linked lists play a crucial role as they can grow and shrink dynamically.
Scalability: we can add or remove elements at any position from the linked list.
A linked list is a very popular and flexible data structure, but it has some certain disadvantages as well. Some of the key disadvantages of linked lists are:
Random access is inefficient: Accessing a specific element in a linked list requires traversing the list from the beginning, which can be inefficient for large size of lists.
Additional memory required for pointers: Each node requires extra memory to store the pointer to the next node of the list.
Potential for memory fragmentation: If frequent insertions and deletions occur, memory can become fragmented, leading to inefficient memory usage.
Potential for Memory Leaks: If not managed properly, linked lists can lead to memory leaks if nodes are not deallocated correctly.
That's all, guys. I hope this article is helpful for you.
Happy Learning... 😀
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