Arrays VS Linked List
Understanding difference between these linear data structures.
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The easiest way to understand linked lists is perhaps by comparing linked lists with arrays.
Linked lists consist of nodes, and is a linear data structure we make ourselves, unlike arrays which is an existing data structure in the programming language that we can use.
Nodes in a linked list store links to other nodes, but array elements do not need to store links to other elements.
Linked List:
Data Structure: Non-contiguous
Memory Allocation: Typically allocated one by one to individual elements
Insertion/Deletion: Efficient
Access: Sequential
Array:
Data Structure: Contiguous
Memory Allocation: Typically allocated to the whole array
Insertion/Deletion: Inefficient
Access: Random