Linked List Data Structure

Last Updated : 22 May, 2024

A linked list is a fundamental data structure in computer science. It consists of nodes where each node contains data and a reference (link) to the next node in the sequence. This allows for dynamic memory allocation and efficient insertion and deletion operations compared to arrays.

Linked List Data Structure

What is a Linked List?

A linked list is a linear data structure that consists of a series of nodes connected by pointers. Each node contains data and a reference to the next node in the list. Unlike arrays, linked lists allow for efficient insertion or removal of elements from any position in the list, as the nodes are not stored contiguously in memory.

Linked Lists vs Arrays

Here’s the comparison of Linked List vs Arrays

Linked List:

Data Structure: Non-contiguous
Memory Allocation: Dynamic
Insertion/Deletion: Efficient
Access: Sequential

Array:

Data Structure: Contiguous
Memory Allocation: Static
Insertion/Deletion: Inefficient
Access: Random

Types of Linked List

Operations of Linked Lists:

Linked List Applications

Implementing stacks and queues using linked lists.
Using linked lists to handle collisions in hash tables.
Representing graphs using linked lists.
Allocating and deallocating memory dynamically.

Basics of Linked List:

Easy Problem on Linked List:

Medium Problem on Linked List:

Hard Problem on Linked List:

Quick Links :

Recommended:

Learn Data Structure and Algorithms | DSA Tutorial

H

harendrakumar123

Improve

Understanding the basics of Linked List

Similar Reads

Static Data Structure vs Dynamic Data Structure

Data structure is a way of storing and organizing data efficiently such that the required operations on them can be performed be efficient with respect to time as well as memory. Simply, Data Structure are used to reduce complexity (mostly the time complexity) of the code. Data structures can be two types : 1. Static Data Structure 2. Dynamic Data

Applications of linked list data structure

A linked list is a linear data structure, in which the elements are not stored at contiguous memory locations. The elements in a linked list are linked using pointers as shown in the below image: Applications of linked list in computer science:Implementation of stacks and queuesImplementation of graphs: Adjacency list representation of graphs is th

Top 50 Problems on Linked List Data Structure asked in SDE Interviews

A Linked List is a linear data structure that looks like a chain of nodes, where each node is a different element. Unlike Arrays, Linked List elements are not stored at a contiguous location. Here is the collection of the Top 50 list of frequently asked interviews question on Linked Lists. Problems in this Article are divided into three Levels so t

Difference between Singly linked list and Doubly linked list

Introduction to Singly linked list : A singly linked list is a set of nodes where each node has two fields 'data' and 'link'. The 'data' field stores actual piece of information and 'link' field is used to point to next node. Basically the 'link' field stores the address of the next node. Introduction to Doubly linked list : A Doubly Linked List (D

Convert Singly Linked List to XOR Linked List

Prerequisite: XOR Linked List – A Memory Efficient Doubly Linked List | Set 1XOR Linked List – A Memory Efficient Doubly Linked List | Set 2 An XOR linked list is a memory efficient doubly linked list in which the next pointer of every node stores the XOR of previous and next node's address. Given a singly linked list, the task is to convert the gi

Create new linked list from two given linked list with greater element at each node

Given two linked list of the same size, the task is to create a new linked list using those linked lists. The condition is that the greater node among both linked list will be added to the new linked list.Examples: Input: list1 = 5->2->3->8 list2 = 1->7->4->5 Output: New list = 5->7->4->8 Input: list1 = 2->8->9->

Generate Linked List consisting of maximum difference of squares of pairs of nodes from given Linked List

Given a Linked List of even number of nodes, the task is to generate a new Linked List such that it contains the maximum difference of squares of node values in decreasing order by including each node in a single pair. Examples: Input: 1 -> 6 -> 4 -> 3 -> 5 ->2Output: 35 -> 21 -> 7Explanation:The difference between squares of 6

XOR linked list- Remove first node of the linked list

Given an XOR linked list, the task is to remove the first node of the XOR linked list. Examples: Input: XLL = 4 < – > 7 < – > 9 < – > 7 Output: 7 < – > 9 < – > 7 Explanation: Removing the first node of the XOR linked list modifies XLL to 7 < – > 9 < – > 7 Input: XLL = NULL Output: List Is Empty Approach: Th

Remove all occurrences of one Linked list in another Linked list

Given two linked lists head1 and head2, the task is to remove all occurrences of head2 in head1 and return the head1. Examples: Input: head1 = 2 -> 3 -> 4 -> 5 -> 3 -> 4, head2 = 3 -> 4Output: 2 -> 5Explanation: After removing all occurrences of 3 -> 4 in head1 output is 2 -> 5. Input: head1 = 3 -> 6 -> 9 -> 8 -

Insert a linked list into another linked list

Given two linked lists, list1 and list2 of sizes m and n respectively. The task is to remove list1's nodes from the ath node to the bth node and insert the list2 in their place.Examples: Input: list1: 10->11->12->13->14->15, list2: 100->101->102->103, a = 3, b = 4Output: 10->11->12->100->101->102->103->1

Article Tags :

Practice Tags :