How do I implement a linked list in TypeScript?
A linked list in TypeScript is a data structure made of nodes, where each node contains a value and a reference to the next node. It's commonly used for dynamic data storage.
A linked list is a linear data structure where each element, called a node, consists of two parts: a value and a reference (or pointer) to the next node in the list. Unlike arrays, linked lists don’t use contiguous memory locations, making them ideal for dynamic memory allocation, where the size of the structure can change during runtime. In TypeScript, you can implement a linked list by defining a Node
class that contains a value
and a next
pointer, which references the next node in the list. The linked list itself can be represented as a class that contains a reference to the head node and methods for adding, removing, and traversing nodes. Linked lists come in different types, such as singly linked lists (where each node points to the next node) and doubly linked lists (where each node points to both the previous and next nodes). Linked lists are useful in scenarios where you need efficient insertion and deletion operations, such as in queues, stacks, or managing dynamic memory in operating systems. While linked lists provide flexibility in resizing, they have a slower access time compared to arrays because they require traversal from the head node to find an element.