A linked list is a linear data structure where each element (node) is a separate object, connected to the previous and next elements by references. The first element is referred to as the head of the linked list and the last element is referred to as the tail. The nodes in a linked list can store data or simply act as a reference to the next node. Linked lists have several advantages, such as dynamic sizing and easy insertion and deletion of elements. They are commonly used in a variety of applications, such as implementing stacks, queues, and dynamic memory allocation.
There are several types of linked lists, including:
1. Singly linked list: Each node has a reference to the next node in the list.
2. Doubly linked list: Each node has a reference to both the next and previous node in the list.
3. Circular linked list: The last node in the list points back to the first node, creating a loop.
4. Multilevel linked list: Each node in a linked list can contain another linked list.
5. Doubly Circular linked list: Both the first and last node points to each other, forming a circular loop.
6. Skip list: A probabilistic data structure where each node has multiple references to other nodes.
7. XOR linked list: Each node stores the XOR of the addresses of the previous and next nodes, rather than actual addresses.