Linked list
An ordered sequence of elements stored in separate nodes connected by links or references rather than in one contiguous storage region.
Grokking Data Structures
A linked list is a collection of nodes connected by links, allowing elements to be inserted or removed without requiring contiguous storage.
- How it is used
- Uses linked lists as growable alternatives to arrays and as underlying storage for containers such as bags and stacks.
- How deep it goes
- Works through node-based Python implementation, insertion, deletion, traversal costs, and singly, doubly, and circular variants.
- Examples
- Uses customer orders, a sorted-order insertion exercise, and Python node and container classes.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch in Python and choose a list variant by traversal direction, operation cost, and memory needs.
Grokking Algorithms, Second Edition
A linked list is an ordered data structure whose items store links to the addresses of subsequent items rather than occupying adjacent memory locations.
- How it is used
- Helps choose between linked lists and arrays for storing and changing an ordered collection.
- How deep it goes
- Explains address links, traversal, insertion, deletion, and performance trade-offs without giving a full implementation.
- Examples
- Uses a to-do list, a treasure hunt, and movie seating to make memory placement and links concrete.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate/understand when easy insertion and deletion outweigh slow access by position and per-item pointer costs.
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Fabulous Adventures in Data Structures and Algorithms
A linked list is a sequence of nodes in which each node refers to the next node in the sequence.
- How it is used
- Uses an immutable linked list to examine reversal, performance analysis, and the design of an immutable stack.
- How deep it goes
- Builds a C# implementation, analyzes operation costs and generated equality, then replaces its error-prone empty representation in a stack.
- Examples
- Demonstrates reversal with five integers and shows stack branches that share an existing tail.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch as an immutable list, reverse it in linear time, and refine the representation for an immutable stack.
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Julia as a Second Language
A linked list is a collection data structure whose elements are connected through links rather than stored in one contiguous indexed sequence.
- How it is used
- Uses linked rocket stages to compare collection tradeoffs and motivate custom Julia collection interfaces.
- How deep it goes
- Works through indexed traversal, chain termination, and front insertion and removal, without developing a general-purpose linked-list library.
- Examples
- Builds a chain of rocket stages and demonstrates indexed lookup plus `pushfirst!` and `popfirst!` operations.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch as linked Julia stages, then extend collection operations and choose it when fast front changes matter.
Go in Action, Second Edition
A linked list is a sequence data structure whose elements are stored in nodes connected by links and whose element type can be parameterized in its generic form.
- How it is used
- Uses a linked list to develop a reusable, type-safe Go collection and demonstrate type parameters across nodes, structs, and methods.
- How deep it goes
- Works through nodes, interface methods, traversal, pointer updates, and bounds checks; treats production use as uncommon beside slices.
- Examples
- Demonstrates an integer list with Add, Insert, Get, Set, and RemoveAt, plus a generic list-reversal function.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch as a typed Go collection with linked nodes, indexed operations, and a generic interface.
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Functional Programming in Scala, Second Edition
A singly linked list is a sequence represented by nodes in which each nonempty node contains an element and a reference to the remaining list.
- How it is used
- Uses immutable lists to develop pure functions, algebraic data types, pattern matching, recursion, and structural sharing.
- How deep it goes
- Defines Nil and Cons, implements construction and recursive operations, and explains sharing costs; it defers alternative sequence structures.
- Examples
- Uses Nil, Cons, List(1,2,3,4), append, drop, dropWhile, and the init exercise to demonstrate construction and traversal.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch in Scala, construct immutable lists, pattern-match over them, and implement recursive list functions.
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AI-Powered Developer: Build software with ChatGPT and Copilot
A linear data structure whose elements are connected through links or references to other elements.
- How it is used
- Uses linked lists as a realistic coding task for prompting, generating, explaining, and reviewing AI-assisted implementations.
- How deep it goes
- Explains nodes, links, core operations, Python structure, traversal, and in-place reversal, while emphasizing review rather than exhaustive implementation analysis.
- Examples
- Demonstrates Python classes, append and prepend operations, traversal output, pseudocode, and iterative reversal of links.
- What you can do after
- Builds and reviews a singly linked list in Python, including basic operations and an explicitly mutating reverse method.
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Elixir in Action, Third Edition
A singly linked list is a sequence of nodes in which each node refers to the next node and traversal proceeds in one direction.
- How it is used
- Uses singly linked lists for dynamic, variable-sized collections and sequential traversal.
- How deep it goes
- Explains recursive representation, construction, traversal costs, and operation trade-offs, while deferring detailed List-module reference.
- Examples
- Demonstrates prime-number lists, indexed access, membership, replacement, insertion, concatenation, and head-tail decomposition.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via List and Enum operations while recognizing when sequential access makes another data structure more suitable.
Read how Elixir in Action, Third Edition explains linked list →
Related concepts
- doubly linked listincludes · A doubly linked list is a linked sequence in which each node has references to both its predecessor and successor.
- listincludes · A list is an ordered collection of elements arranged in a sequence.
- containerkind of · A container is a structure or entity that holds, groups, or packages other data or elements.
- data localitycontrasts with · Data locality describes the relationship between where data is located and where or how it is accessed or processed, including proximity, reuse, and location constraints.
- sequential accessuses · Sequential access is a data-access pattern that retrieves elements or records in an ordered sequence, typically beginning at the first element or location.
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