Data Structure and Algorithms - Linked List

A linked list is a sequence of data structures, which are connected together via links.

Linked List is a sequence of links which contains items. Each link contains a connection to another link. Linked list is the second most-used data structure after array. Following are the important terms to understand the concept of Linked List.

Link − Each link of a linked list can store a data called an element.

Next − Each link of a linked list contains a link to the next link called Next.

LinkedList − A Linked List contains the connection link to the first link called First.

Linked List Representation
Linked list can be visualized as a chain of nodes, where every node points to the next node.


As per the above illustration, following are the important points to be considered.

Linked List contains a link element called first.

Each link carries a data field(s) and a link field called next.

Each link is linked with its next link using its next link.

Last link carries a link as null to mark the end of the list.

Types of Linked List
Following are the various types of linked list.

Simple Linked List − Item navigation is forward only.

Doubly Linked List − Items can be navigated forward and backward.

Circular Linked List − Last item contains link of the first element as next and the first element has a link to the last element as previous.
Basic Operations
Following are the basic operations supported by a list.

Insertion − Adds an element at the beginning of the list.

Deletion − Deletes an element at the beginning of the list.

Display − Displays the complete list.

Search − Searches an element using the given key.

Delete − Deletes an element using the given key.
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