Circular Linked List meaning in DSA

A circular linked list is a special type of linked list in which the last node is connected to the first node, creating a continuous loop. In a circular linked list, each node has a reference to the next node in the sequence, just like in a regular linked list, but the last node’s reference points back to the first node.

Circular Linked List

Characteristics of Circular Linked List:

The characteristics of a circular linked list are:

• The last node in the list points back to the first node.
• Unlike a regular linked list, which ends with a null reference, a circular linked list has no end, as the last node points back to the first node.
• Circular linked lists can grow or shrink dynamically as elements are added or removed.

Application of Circular Linked List:

Circular linked lists have several applications in computer science, including:

• Resource allocation: In operating systems, circular linked lists are used to implement round-robin scheduling, where processes are given equal time slices in a cyclic fashion.
• Music and video playback: Circular linked lists can be used to implement continuous playback of songs or videos.
• Buffer management: Circular linked lists can be used to implement circular buffers, which are fixed-size data structures that hold a limited number of elements and overwrite old elements when full.
• Circular Queues: Circular linked lists can be used to implement circular queues.

To learn more about applications, refer to this article.

Advantages of Circular Linked List:

The advantages of using a circular linked list include:

• Dynamic size: Circular linked lists can grow or shrink dynamically as elements are added or removed.
• Applications in various fields: Circular linked lists have various applications in fields such as operating systems, game development, music and video playback, buffer management, and LRU Cache, among others.
• Memory utilization: Circular linked lists are useful in cases where memory utilization is an important consideration, as they allow for the efficient utilization of memory.

To learn more about the advantages, refer to this article.

Disadvantages of Circular Linked List:

The disadvantages of using a circular linked list include:

• Complexity: As compared to arrays, the implementation of circular linked lists can be more complex, as each node requires a reference to the next node in the sequence.
• Memory overhead: Circular linked lists require more memory as compared to arrays, as each node requires a reference to the next node in addition to the data stored in the node.
• Debugging: Debugging circular linked lists can be more challenging as compared to arrays, as the circular reference can make it difficult to track the flow of data through the list.

To learn more about the advantages, refer to this article.

What else can you read?

1. Introduction to Circular Linked List – Data Structure and Algorithm Tutorials
2. Application, Advantages and Disadvantages of Circular Linked List
3. Types of Linked List