What is a linked list?

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#1

A linked list is a data structure that has sequence of nodes where every node is connected to the next node by means of a reference pointer. The elements are not stored in adjacent memory locations. They are linked using pointers to form a chain. This forms a chain-like link for data storage.

  • Each node element has two parts:
    • a data field
    • a reference (or pointer) to the next node.
  • The first node in a linked list is called the head and the last node in the list has the pointer to NULL. Null in the reference field indicates that the node is the last node. When the list is empty, the head is a null reference.
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#2

Linked list is a linear collection of data elements, called nodes pointing to the next node by means of a pointer. It is a data structure consisting of a group of nodes which together represent a sequence. Under the simplest form, each node is composed of data and a reference (in other words, a link) to the next node in the sequence; more complex variants add additional links. This structure allows for efficient insertion or removal of elements from any position in the sequence.