Doubly Linked List

We will going to learn about doubly linked lists in this post.

What exactly is a linked list?

A linked list is a data structure with each node representing an object. The Linked list data structure, unlike ordinary Arrays, does not have a contiguous memory structure. Every element has a reference that connects it to the next node.

Every element in the Linked list is referred to as a Node. Every node has a key or data element, as well as a pointer to the next member in the list. Head is the beginning pointer in the Linked list. It's important to note that the "Head" pointer is a reference to the first element of the Linked list, not another node. The value of Head will be null if the linked list is empty.

What is a Doubly Linked List, and how does it work?

It is easier to implement a singly linked list or a linked list, but traversing it in reverse is much more difficult. To overcome this, we can use a Doubly LinkedList, in which each node takes an additional pointer to point the previous node to the element in addition to the pointer for the next node.

Iteration is more efficient in a doubly linked list, especially if you need to repeat in reverse, and deletion of specific nodes is more efficient.

To summarise, a doubly linked list is a more complex sort of linked list in which each node holds a pointer to both the previous and next node in the series. A node in a doubly-linked list thus has three components: node data, a pointer to the next node in the list (next pointer), and a pointer to the prior node (previous pointer).

Why is it necessary to utilise a doubly linked list?

When both ahead and back navigation is required, a doubly linked list can be utilised in navigation systems. Browsers employ it to implement backward and forward navigation of visited web pages, also known as the back and forward buttons. Various applications use it to implement Undo and Redo features.

The Benefits of a Doubly Linked List

A DLL can be walked through both forward and backward.

If a pointer to the node to be destroyed is provided, the delete operation in DLL is more efficient.

Before a given node, we can quickly insert a new node.

A music player with next and previous buttons, similar to the concept of a double linked list, with the ability to travel back and forth between elements.

The Drawbacks of a Doubly-Linked List

Every DLL node necessitates more space for a prior pointer (This can be overcome by implementing XOR Linked list)
Prior to any operation, an extra pointer must be kept.