Last Updated: 06 October, 2024 5 Mins
A Linked List is a linear data structure that consists of a collection of elements; each element in a linked list is called a Node. The node contains two parts: the first part contains data, and the second part contains the address of the next node.
In the linked list there is a HEAD pointer, which points to the first element of the linked list, and if the list is empty then it stores NULL and the last node is called the Tail, and it stores NULL value.
A linked list is a dynamic data structure that allocates and de-allocates memory at runtime. This helps in efficiently using system memory.
Linked list elements are not stored in contiguous memory locations and the number of nodes in a linked list is not fixed.
The feature of dynamic memory allocation in linked lists provides flexible insertion and deletion operations.
Linked lists can be used to implement many different data structures, including Stacks, Queues, Graphs, Hash Maps, etc.
Head: The reference to the first node in a linked list, or a pointer to it, is called the head of the list. The linked list begins at this pointer.
Node: A node is an entity that contains data and pointer (address of the next node).
Data: It contains the information/date of the node.
Next Pointer: It contains the address of the next node the linked list. It is a part of node.
Dynamic data structure: A linked list is 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 utilize memory, the size of the linked list increase or decrease 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 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 it can grow and shrink dynamically.
Scalability: we can add or remove elements at any position from the linked list.
A linked list is 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.
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