Hey, have you ever gone on a treasure hunt where each clue points you to the next one until you hit the jackpot? That’s pretty much how a linked list works in programming! It’s a straightforward but super useful way to store a bunch of items, and it’s something every coder needs to know. In this blog, I’m going to walk you through what linked lists are, how they tick, and why they’re such a big deal—all in a way that’s easy to grasp. So, let’s get started!

What is a Linked List?

A linked list is a chain of nodes, where each node holds two things:

• Data: The actual value (like a number, name, or anything you want to store).
• Next Pointer: A reference to the next node in the chain.

Think of it like a train: each carriage (node) carries passengers (data) and is connected to the next carriage. The first carriage is called the head, and the last one has no next carriage—it points to null, signalling the end of the train.

Here’s a simple linked list with values 5 -> 10 -> 15:

head -> [5 | next] -> [10 | next] -> [15 | null]

This is called a singly linked list because it only moves in one direction—forward.

Types of Linked Lists

Linked lists come in a few flavours:

1. Singly Linked List:
   • Each node points to the next node.
   • Simple and memory-efficient but can only traverse forward.
   • Example: A playlist where you can only skip to the next song.
2. Doubly Linked List:
   • Each node has a next pointer to the next node and a prev pointer to the previous node.
   • Allows traversal in both directions (like a playlist with “next” and “previous” buttons).
   • Uses more memory due to the extra pointer.
3. Circular Linked List:
   • The last node points back to the first node, forming a loop.
   • Useful for applications like round-robin scheduling.