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Linked List Operations: Traverse, Insert and Delete

In this tutorial, you will learn different operations on a linked list. Also, you will find implementation of linked list operations in C/C++, Python and Java.

There are various linked list operations that allow us to perform different actions on linked lists. For example, the insertion operation adds a new element to the linked list.

Here's a list of basic linked list operations that we will cover in this article.

  • Traversal - access each element of the linked list
  • Insertion - adds a new element to the linked list
  • Deletion - removes the existing elements
  • Search - find a node in the linked list
  • Sort - sort the nodes of the linked list

Before you learn about linked list operations in detail, make sure to know about Linked List first.

Things to Remember about Linked List

  • head points to the first node of the linked list
  • next pointer of the last node is NULL, so if the next current node is NULL, we have reached the end of the linked list.

In all of the examples, we will assume that the linked list has three nodes 1 --->2 --->3 with node structure as below:

struct node {
int data;
struct node *next;
};

Traverse a Linked List

Displaying the contents of a linked list is very simple. We keep moving the temp node to the next one and display its contents.

When temp is NULL, we know that we have reached the end of the linked list so we get out of the while loop.

struct node *temp = head;
printf("\n\nList elements are - \n");
while(temp != NULL) {
printf("%d --->",temp->data);
temp = temp->next;
}

The output of this program will be:

List elements are - 
1 --->2 --->3 --->

Insert Elements to a Linked List

You can add elements to either the beginning, middle or end of the linked list.

1. Insert at the beginning

  • Allocate memory for new node
  • Store data
  • Change next of new node to point to head
  • Change head to point to recently created node
struct node *newNode;
newNode = malloc(sizeof(struct node));
newNode->data = 4;
newNode->next = head;
head = newNode;

2. Insert at the End

  • Allocate memory for new node
  • Store data
  • Traverse to last node
  • Change next of last node to recently created node
struct node *newNode;
newNode = malloc(sizeof(struct node));
newNode->data = 4;
newNode->next = NULL;

struct node *temp = head;
while(temp->next != NULL){
temp = temp->next;
}

temp->next = newNode;

3. Insert at the Middle

  • Allocate memory and store data for new node
  • Traverse to node just before the required position of new node
  • Change next pointers to include new node in between
struct node *newNode;
newNode = malloc(sizeof(struct node));
newNode->data = 4;

struct node *temp = head;

for(int i=2; i < position; i++) {
if(temp->next != NULL) {
temp = temp->next;
}
}
newNode->next = temp->next;
temp->next = newNode;

Delete from a Linked List

You can delete either from the beginning, end or from a particular position.

1. Delete from beginning

  • Point head to the second node
head = head->next;

2. Delete from end

  • Traverse to second last element
  • Change its next pointer to null
struct node* temp = head;
while(temp->next->next!=NULL){
temp = temp->next;
}
temp->next = NULL;

3. Delete from middle

  • Traverse to element before the element to be deleted
  • Change next pointers to exclude the node from the chain
for(int i=2; i< position; i++) {
if(temp->next!=NULL) {
temp = temp->next;
}
}

temp->next = temp->next->next;

You can search an element on a linked list using a loop using the following steps. We are finding item on a linked list.

  • Make head as the current node.
  • Run a loop until the current node is NULL because the last element points to NULL.
  • In each iteration, check if the key of the node is equal to item. If it the key matches the item, return true otherwise return false.
// Search a node
bool searchNode(struct Node** head_ref, int key) {
struct Node* current = *head_ref;

while (current != NULL) {
if (current->data == key) return true;
current = current->next;
}
return false;
}

Sort Elements of a Linked List

We will use a simple sorting algorithm, Bubble Sort, to sort the elements of a linked list in ascending order below.

  1. Make the head as the current node and create another node index for later use.
  2. If head is null, return.
  3. Else, run a loop till the last node (i.e. NULL).
  4. In each iteration, follow the following step 5-6.
  5. Store the next node of current in index.
  6. Check if the data of the current node is greater than the next node. If it is greater, swap current and index.

Check the article on bubble sort for better understanding of its working.

// Sort the linked list
void sortLinkedList(struct Node** head_ref) {
struct Node *current = *head_ref, *index = NULL;
int temp;

if (head_ref == NULL) {
return;
} else {
while (current != NULL) {
// index points to the node next to current
index = current->next;

while (index != NULL) {
if (current->data > index->data) {
temp = current->data;
current->data = index->data;
index->data = temp;
}
index = index->next;
}
current = current->next;
}
}
}

LinkedList Operations in Python, Java, C, and C++

Python
Java
C
C++
# Linked list operations in Python


# Create a node
class Node:
def __init__(self, data):
self.data = data
self.next = None


class LinkedList:

def __init__(self):
self.head = None

# Insert at the beginning
def insertAtBeginning(self, new_data):
new_node = Node(new_data)

new_node.next = self.head
self.head = new_node

# Insert after a node
def insertAfter(self, prev_node, new_data):

if prev_node is None:
print("The given previous node must inLinkedList.")
return

new_node = Node(new_data)
new_node.next = prev_node.next
prev_node.next = new_node

# Insert at the end
def insertAtEnd(self, new_data):
new_node = Node(new_data)

if self.head is None:
self.head = new_node
return

last = self.head
while (last.next):
last = last.next

last.next = new_node

# Deleting a node
def deleteNode(self, position):

if self.head is None:
return

temp = self.head

if position == 0:
self.head = temp.next
temp = None
return

# Find the key to be deleted
for i in range(position - 1):
temp = temp.next
if temp is None:
break

# If the key is not present
if temp is None:
return

if temp.next is None:
return

next = temp.next.next

temp.next = None

temp.next = next

# Search an element
def search(self, key):

current = self.head

while current is not None:
if current.data == key:
return True

current = current.next

return False

# Sort the linked list
def sortLinkedList(self, head):
current = head
index = Node(None)

if head is None:
return
else:
while current is not None:
# index points to the node next to current
index = current.next

while index is not None:
if current.data > index.data:
current.data, index.data = index.data, current.data

index = index.next
current = current.next

# Print the linked list
def printList(self):
temp = self.head
while (temp):
print(str(temp.data) + " ", end="")
temp = temp.next


if __name__ == '__main__':

llist = LinkedList()
llist.insertAtEnd(1)
llist.insertAtBeginning(2)
llist.insertAtBeginning(3)
llist.insertAtEnd(4)
llist.insertAfter(llist.head.next, 5)

print('linked list:')
llist.printList()

print("\nAfter deleting an element:")
llist.deleteNode(3)
llist.printList()

print()
item_to_find = 3
if llist.search(item_to_find):
print(str(item_to_find) + " is found")
else:
print(str(item_to_find) + " is not found")

llist.sortLinkedList(llist.head)
print("Sorted List: ")
llist.printList()
// Linked list operations in Java

class LinkedList {
Node head;

// Create a node
class Node {
int data;
Node next;

Node(int d) {
data = d;
next = null;
}
}

// Insert at the beginning
public void insertAtBeginning(int new_data) {
// insert the data
Node new_node = new Node(new_data);
new_node.next = head;
head = new_node;
}

// Insert after a node
public void insertAfter(Node prev_node, int new_data) {
if (prev_node == null) {
System.out.println("The given previous node cannot be null");
return;
}
Node new_node = new Node(new_data);
new_node.next = prev_node.next;
prev_node.next = new_node;
}

// Insert at the end
public void insertAtEnd(int new_data) {
Node new_node = new Node(new_data);

if (head == null) {
head = new Node(new_data);
return;
}

new_node.next = null;

Node last = head;
while (last.next != null)
last = last.next;

last.next = new_node;
return;
}

// Delete a node
void deleteNode(int position) {
if (head == null)
return;

Node temp = head;

if (position == 0) {
head = temp.next;
return;
}
// Find the key to be deleted
for (int i = 0; temp != null && i < position - 1; i++)
temp = temp.next;

// If the key is not present
if (temp == null || temp.next == null)
return;

// Remove the node
Node next = temp.next.next;

temp.next = next;
}

// Search a node
boolean search(Node head, int key) {
Node current = head;
while (current != null) {
if (current.data == key)
return true;
current = current.next;
}
return false;
}

// Sort the linked list
void sortLinkedList(Node head) {
Node current = head;
Node index = null;
int temp;

if (head == null) {
return;
} else {
while (current != null) {
// index points to the node next to current
index = current.next;

while (index != null) {
if (current.data > index.data) {
temp = current.data;
current.data = index.data;
index.data = temp;
}
index = index.next;
}
current = current.next;
}
}
}

// Print the linked list
public void printList() {
Node tnode = head;
while (tnode != null) {
System.out.print(tnode.data + " ");
tnode = tnode.next;
}

}

public static void main(String[] args) {
LinkedList llist = new LinkedList();

llist.insertAtEnd(1);
llist.insertAtBeginning(2);
llist.insertAtBeginning(3);
llist.insertAtEnd(4);
llist.insertAfter(llist.head.next, 5);

System.out.println("Linked list: ");
llist.printList();

System.out.println("\nAfter deleting an element: ");
llist.deleteNode(3);
llist.printList();

System.out.println();
int item_to_find = 3;
if (llist.search(llist.head, item_to_find))
System.out.println(item_to_find + " is found");
else
System.out.println(item_to_find + " is not found");

llist.sortLinkedList(llist.head);
System.out.println("\nSorted List: ");
llist.printList();
}
}
// Linked list operations in C

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

// Create a node
struct Node {
int data;
struct Node* next;
};

// Insert at the beginning
void insertAtBeginning(struct Node** head_ref, int new_data) {
// Allocate memory to a node
struct Node* new_node = (struct Node*)malloc(sizeof(struct Node));

// insert the data
new_node->data = new_data;

new_node->next = (*head_ref);

// Move head to new node
(*head_ref) = new_node;
}

// Insert a node after a node
void insertAfter(struct Node* prev_node, int new_data) {
if (prev_node == NULL) {
printf("the given previous node cannot be NULL");
return;
}

struct Node* new_node = (struct Node*)malloc(sizeof(struct Node));
new_node->data = new_data;
new_node->next = prev_node->next;
prev_node->next = new_node;
}

// Insert the the end
void insertAtEnd(struct Node** head_ref, int new_data) {
struct Node* new_node = (struct Node*)malloc(sizeof(struct Node));
struct Node* last = *head_ref; /* used in step 5*/

new_node->data = new_data;
new_node->next = NULL;

if (*head_ref == NULL) {
*head_ref = new_node;
return;
}

while (last->next != NULL) last = last->next;

last->next = new_node;
return;
}

// Delete a node
void deleteNode(struct Node** head_ref, int key) {
struct Node *temp = *head_ref, *prev;

if (temp != NULL && temp->data == key) {
*head_ref = temp->next;
free(temp);
return;
}
// Find the key to be deleted
while (temp != NULL && temp->data != key) {
prev = temp;
temp = temp->next;
}

// If the key is not present
if (temp == NULL) return;

// Remove the node
prev->next = temp->next;

free(temp);
}

// Search a node
int searchNode(struct Node** head_ref, int key) {
struct Node* current = *head_ref;

while (current != NULL) {
if (current->data == key) return 1;
current = current->next;
}
return 0;
}

// Sort the linked list
void sortLinkedList(struct Node** head_ref) {
struct Node *current = *head_ref, *index = NULL;
int temp;

if (head_ref == NULL) {
return;
} else {
while (current != NULL) {
// index points to the node next to current
index = current->next;

while (index != NULL) {
if (current->data > index->data) {
temp = current->data;
current->data = index->data;
index->data = temp;
}
index = index->next;
}
current = current->next;
}
}
}

// Print the linked list
void printList(struct Node* node) {
while (node != NULL) {
printf(" %d ", node->data);
node = node->next;
}
}

// Driver program
int main() {
struct Node* head = NULL;

insertAtEnd(&head, 1);
insertAtBeginning(&head, 2);
insertAtBeginning(&head, 3);
insertAtEnd(&head, 4);
insertAfter(head->next, 5);

printf("Linked list: ");
printList(head);

printf("\nAfter deleting an element: ");
deleteNode(&head, 3);
printList(head);

int item_to_find = 3;
if (searchNode(&head, item_to_find)) {
printf("\n%d is found", item_to_find);
} else {
printf("\n%d is not found", item_to_find);
}

sortLinkedList(&head);
printf("\nSorted List: ");
printList(head);
}
// Linked list operations in C++

#include <stdlib.h>

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

// Create a node
struct Node {
int data;
struct Node* next;
};

void insertAtBeginning(struct Node** head_ref, int new_data) {
// Allocate memory to a node
struct Node* new_node = (struct Node*)malloc(sizeof(struct Node));

// insert the data
new_node->data = new_data;
new_node->next = (*head_ref);

// Move head to new node
(*head_ref) = new_node;
}

// Insert a node after a node
void insertAfter(struct Node* prev_node, int new_data) {
if (prev_node == NULL) {
cout << "the given previous node cannot be NULL";
return;
}

struct Node* new_node = (struct Node*)malloc(sizeof(struct Node));
new_node->data = new_data;
new_node->next = prev_node->next;
prev_node->next = new_node;
}

// Insert at the end
void insertAtEnd(struct Node** head_ref, int new_data) {
struct Node* new_node = (struct Node*)malloc(sizeof(struct Node));
struct Node* last = *head_ref; /* used in step 5*/

new_node->data = new_data;
new_node->next = NULL;

if (*head_ref == NULL) {
*head_ref = new_node;
return;
}

while (last->next != NULL) last = last->next;

last->next = new_node;
return;
}

// Delete a node
void deleteNode(struct Node** head_ref, int key) {
struct Node *temp = *head_ref, *prev;

if (temp != NULL && temp->data == key) {
*head_ref = temp->next;
free(temp);
return;
}
// Find the key to be deleted
while (temp != NULL && temp->data != key) {
prev = temp;
temp = temp->next;
}

// If the key is not present
if (temp == NULL) return;

// Remove the node
prev->next = temp->next;

free(temp);
}

// Search a node
bool searchNode(struct Node** head_ref, int key) {
struct Node* current = *head_ref;

while (current != NULL) {
if (current->data == key) return true;
current = current->next;
}
return false;
}

// Sort the linked list
void sortLinkedList(struct Node** head_ref) {
struct Node *current = *head_ref, *index = NULL;
int temp;

if (head_ref == NULL) {
return;
} else {
while (current != NULL) {
// index points to the node next to current
index = current->next;

while (index != NULL) {
if (current->data > index->data) {
temp = current->data;
current->data = index->data;
index->data = temp;
}
index = index->next;
}
current = current->next;
}
}
}

// Print the linked list
void printList(struct Node* node) {
while (node != NULL) {
cout << node->data << " ";
node = node->next;
}
}

// Driver program
int main() {
struct Node* head = NULL;

insertAtEnd(&head, 1);
insertAtBeginning(&head, 2);
insertAtBeginning(&head, 3);
insertAtEnd(&head, 4);
insertAfter(head->next, 5);

cout << "Linked list: ";
printList(head);

cout << "\nAfter deleting an element: ";
deleteNode(&head, 3);
printList(head);

int item_to_find = 3;
if (searchNode(&head, item_to_find)) {
cout << endl << item_to_find << " is found";
} else {
cout << endl << item_to_find << " is not found";
}

sortLinkedList(&head);
cout << "\nSorted List: ";
printList(head);
}

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