Java LinkedList

In this tutorial, we will learn about the LinkedList class in detail with the help of a lot of examples.

The LinkedList class of the Java Collections framework provides the functionality of the linked list data structure.

Interfaces implemented by LinkedList

Interfaces implemented by the Linked List

LinkedList Implementation in Java

The Java LinkedList class provides a doubly linked list implementation.

Node in a linked list

Each element in a linked list is known as a node. It consists of 3 fields:

  • Prev - Stores an address of the previous element in the list. It is null for the first element.
  • Next - Stores an address of the next element in the list. It is null for the last element.
  • Data - Stores the actual data.

Elements in linked lists are not stored in sequence. Instead, they are scattered and connected through links (Prev and Next).

Working of LinkedList in Java

Here we have 3 elements in a linked list.

  • Dog - it is the first element that holds Null as previous address and address of Cat as next address
  • Cat - it is the second element that holds an address of Dog as previous address and address of Cow as next address
  • Cow - it is the last element that holds the address of Cat as the previous address and Null as the next element

Creating a LinkedList

Here is how we can create linked lists in Java:

LinkedList<Type> linkedList = new LinkedList<>();

Here, Type indicates the type of a linked list. For example,

// create Integer type linked list
LinkedList<Integer> linkedList = new LinkedList<>();

// create String type linked list
LinkedList<String> linkedList = new LinkedList<>();

Methods of LinkedList

LinkedList provides various methods that allow us to perform different operations in linked lists.

Add Elements to LinkedList

1. Add Element: using the add() method

To add an element (node) to the end of the linked list, we use the add() method. For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args){
        LinkedList<String> animals = new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements to LinkedList
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Cat");
        animals.add("Horse");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Cat, Horse]

2. Add Element: using an index number

We can also add elements to the linked list using indexes. For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args){
        LinkedList<String> animals = new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements using indexes
        animals.add(0,"Dog");
        animals.add(1,"Cat");
        animals.add(2,"Horse");

        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Cat, Horse]

3. Add Elements: One linked list to another

To add all the elements of a linked list to another linked list, we use the addAll() method. For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args){
        LinkedList<String> mammals = new LinkedList<>();

        mammals.add("Dog");
        mammals.add("Cat");
        mammals.add("Horse");
        System.out.println("Mammals: " + mammals);

        LinkedList<String> animals = new LinkedList<>();
        animals.add("Crocodile");

        // Add all elements of mammals in animals
        animals.addAll(mammals);
        System.out.println("Animals: " + animals);
    }
}

Output

Mammals: [Dog, Cat, Horse]
Animals: [Crocodile, Dog, Cat, Horse]

4. Add Elements: using listIterator() Method

We can also use the listsIterator() method to add elements to the linked list. To use it, we must import java.util.ListIterator package. For example,

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.ListIterator;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        ArrayList<String> animals= new ArrayList<>();

        // Creating an object of ListIterator
        ListIterator<String> listIterate = animals.listIterator();
        listIterate.add("Dog");
        listIterate.add("Cat");

        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Cat]

Access LinkedList Elements

1. Access Element: using get() Method

To access an element from the linked list, we can use the get() method. For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LinkedList<String> animals= new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements in the linked list
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Horse");
        animals.add("Cat");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // Get the element from the linked list
        String str = animals.get(1);
        System.out.print("Element at index 1: " + str);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Horse, Cat]
Element at index 1: Horse

2. Access Elements: using iterator() method

To iterate over the elements of a linked list, we can use the iterator() method. We must import java.util.Iterator package to use this method. For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.Iterator;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LinkedList<String> animals= new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements in LinkedList
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Horse");
        animals.add("Cat");

        // Creating an object of Iterator
        Iterator<String> iterate = animals.iterator();
        System.out.print("LinkedList: ");

        while(iterate.hasNext()) {
            System.out.print(iterate.next());
            System.out.print(", ");
        }
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: Dog, Cat, Horse,

Note:

  • hasNext() - returns true if there is a next element
  • next() - returns the next element

To learn more about Iterator, visit Java Iterator Interface.

3. Access Elements: using the listIterator() Method

We can also use the listIterator() method to iterate over the elements of a linked list. To use this method, we must import java.util.ListIterator package.

The listsIterator() method is more preferred in linked lists. It is because objects of listIterator() can iterate backward as well. For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.ListIterator;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LinkedList<String> animals= new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements in LinkedList
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Horse");
        animals.add("Cat");

        // Create an object of ListIterator
        ListIterator<String> listIterate = animals.listIterator();
        System.out.print("LinkedList: ");

        while(listIterate.hasNext()) {
            System.out.print(listIterate.next());
            System.out.print(", ");
        }

        // Iterate backward
        System.out.print("\nReverse LinkedList: ");

        while(listIterate.hasPrevious()) {
            System.out.print(listIterate.previous());
            System.out.print(", ");
        }
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: Dog, Horse, Cat,
Reverse LinkedList: Cat, Horse, Dog,

Note:

  • hasNext() - returns true if there is a next element
  • next() - returns the next element
  • hasPrevious() - returns true if there exists previous elements
  • previous() - returns the previous element

To learn more about ListIterator, visit Java ListIterator Interface.

1. Search element: using the contains() Method

To check if a linked list contains a particular element or not, we use the contains() method. For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LinkedList<String> animals= new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements in the linked list
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Horse");
        animals.add("Cat");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // Checks if Dog is in the linked list
        if(animals.contains("Dog")) {
            System.out.println("Dog is in LinkedList.");
        }
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Horse, Cat]
Dog is in LinkedList.

2. Search element: using the indexOf() Method

  • indexOf() - returns the index of the first occurrence of an element
  • lastIndexOf() - returns the index of the last occurrence of an element

For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LinkedList<String> animals= new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements in the linked list
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Horse");
        animals.add("Cat");
        animals.add("Dog");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // First Occurrence of Dog
        int index1 = animals.indexOf("Dog");
        System.out.println("First Occurrence of Dog: " + index1);

        // Last Occurrence of Dog
        int index2 = animals.lastIndexOf("Dog");
        System.out.println("Last Occurrence of Dog: " + index2);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Horse, Cat, Dog]
First Occurrence of Dog: 0
Last Occurrence of Dog: 3

Note: Both indexOf() and lastIndexOf() returns -1 if the specified element is not found.

Change LinkedList Elements

1. Change Element: using the set() Method

To change elements of a linked list, we can use the set() method. For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LinkedList<String> animals= new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements in the linked list
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Horse");
        animals.add("Cat");
        animals.add("Dog");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // Change elements at index 3
        animals.set(3, "Zebra");
        System.out.println("New LinkedList: " + animals);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Horse, Cat, Dog]
New LinkedList: [Dog, Horse, Cat, Zebra]

2. Change Element: using the listIterator() Method

We can also change the elements in a linked list using the listIterator() method. For example,

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.ListIterator;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        ArrayList<String> animals= new ArrayList<>();

        // Add elements
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Cat");
        animals.add("Horse");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // Creating an object of ListIterator
        ListIterator<String> listIterate = animals.listIterator();
        listIterate.next();

        // Change element returned by next()
        listIterate.set("Cow");
        System.out.println("New LinkedList: " + animals);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Cat, Horse]
New LinkedList: [Cow, Cat, Horse]

Remove LinkedList Elements

1. Remove Element: using remove() Method

To remove an element from the linked list, we can use the remove() method. For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LinkedList<String> animals= new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements in LinkedList
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Horse");
        animals.add("Cat");
        animals.add("Zebra");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // Remove elements from index 1
        String str = animals.remove(1);
        System.out.println("Removed Element: " + str);

        System.out.println("New LinkedList: " + animals);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList : [Dog, Horse, Cat, Zebra]
Removed Element: Horse
New LinkedList: [Dog, Cat, Zebra]

2. Remove Element: using listIterator() Method

We can also remove elements from a linked list using the listsIterator() method. For example,

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.ListIterator;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        ArrayList<String> animals= new ArrayList<>();

        // Add elements
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Cat");
        animals.add("Horse");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // Creating an object of ListIterator
        ListIterator<String> listIterate = animals.listIterator();
        listIterate.next();

        // Remove element returned by next()
        listIterate.remove();
        System.out.println("New LinkedList: " + animals);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Cat, Horse]
New LinkedList: [Cat, Horse]

3. Remove Elements: using clear() Method

To remove all elements from a linked list, we use the clear() method. For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LinkedList<String> animals= new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements in LinkedList
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Cat");
        animals.add("Horse");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // Remove all the elements
        animals.clear();
        System.out.println("New LinkedList: " + animals);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Cat, Horse]
New LinkedList: []

Note: We can also use the removeAll() method to remove all the elements. However, the clear() method is considered more efficient than the removeAll() method.

4. Remove Element: using the removeIf() Method

We can also remove elements from a linked list if they satisfied a certain condition. For this, we use the removeIf() method. For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LinkedList<Integer> animals= new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements in LinkedList
        animals.add(2);
        animals.add(3);
        animals.add(4);
        animals.add(5);
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // Remove all elements less than 4
        animals.removeIf((Integer i)->i < 4);
        System.out.println("New LinkedList: " + animals);

       /** Here we have used the lambda expression
         * For now just remember
         * parameter inside removeIf() is a condition
         */
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [2, 3, 4, 5]
New LinkedList: [4, 5]

Note: (Integer i)->i<4 is a lambda expression. To learn about the lambda expression, visit Java Lambda Expression.

LinkedList as Deque and Queue

Since the LinkedList class also implements the Queue and the Deque interface, it can implement methods of these interfaces as well. Here are some of the commonly used methods:

addFirst() and addLast() Method

  • addFirst() - adds the specified element at the beginning of the linked list
  • addLast() - adds the specified element at the end of the linked list

For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.Deque;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args){
        Deque<String> animals = new LinkedList<>();

        // Add element at starting of LinkedList
        animals.addFirst("Cow");
        animals.addFirst("Dog");
        animals.addFirst("Cat");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // Add elements at the end of LinkedList
        animals.addLast("Zebra");
        System.out.println("New LinkedList: " + animals);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Cat, Dog, Cow]
New LinkedList: [Cat, Dog, Cow, Zebra]

getFirst() and getLast() Method

  • getFirst() - returns the first element
  • getLast() - returns the last element

For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.Deque;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Deque<String> animals= new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements in the linked list
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Horse");
        animals.add("Cat");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // Get the first element from the linked list
        String str1 = animals.getFirst();
        System.out.println("First Element: " + str1);

        // Get the last element from the linked list
        String str2 = animals.getLast();
        System.out.println("Last Element: " + str2);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Horse, Cat]
First Element: Dog
Last Element: Cat

removeFirst() and removeLast() Method

  • removeFirst() - removes the first element
  • removeLast() - removes the last element

For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.Deque;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Deque<String> animals= new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements in LinkedList
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Horse");
        animals.add("Cat");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // Remove the first element from LinkedList
        String str1 = animals.removeFirst();
        System.out.println("Removed Element: " + str1);

        // Remove the last element from LinkedList
        String str2 = animals.removeLast();
        System.out.println("Removed Element: " + str2);

        System.out.println("New LinkedList: " + animals);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Horse, Cat]
Removed Element: Dog
Removed Element: Cat
New LinkedList: [Horse]

peek() Method

The peek() method returns the first element (head) of the linked list. For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.Queue;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Queue<String> animals= new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements in LinkedList
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Horse");
        animals.add("Cat");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // Access the first element of LinkedList
        String str = animals.peek();
        System.out.println("Element Accessed: " + str);
        System.out.println("New LinkedList: " + animals);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Horse, Cat]
Element Accessed: Dog
New LinkedList: [Dog, Horse, Cat]

poll() method

The poll() method returns and removes the first element from the linked list. For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.Queue;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Queue<String> animals= new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements in LinkedList
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Horse");
        animals.add("Cat");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // Returns and removes the first element
        String str = animals.poll();
        System.out.println("Removed Element: " + str);
        System.out.println("New LinkedList: " + animals);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Horse, Cat]
Removed Element: Dog
New LinkedList: [Horse, Cat]

offer() Method

The offer() method adds the specified element at the end of the linked list. For example,

import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.Queue;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Queue<String> animals= new LinkedList<>();

        // Add elements in LinkedList
        animals.add("Dog");
        animals.add("Horse");
        System.out.println("LinkedList: " + animals);

        // Adds element at the end of LinkedList
        animals.offer("Cat");
        System.out.println("New LinkedList: " + animals);
    }
}

Output

LinkedList: [Dog, Horse]
New LinkedList: [Dog, Horse, Cat]

LinkedList vs. ArrayList

Both LinkedList and ArrayList implements the List interface of the Collections framework. However, there exists some difference between them.

Linked list Array list
stores 3 values (previous address, data, and next address) in a single position stores a single value in a single position
provides the doubly-linked list implementation of List provides a resizable array implementation
whenever an element is added, prev and next address are changed whenever an element is added, all elements after that position are shifted
To access an element, we need to iterate from the beginning to the element can randomly access elements using indexes.

Creating LinkedList using Interfaces

Let's take an example.

List<String> animals1 = new LinkedList<>();

Here we have declared a linked list, animals1, using the List interface. The linked list can only access the methods of the List interface.

Let's take one more example.

Queue<String> animals2 = new LinkedList<>();
Deque<String> animals3 = new LinkedList<>();

Here, animals2 can only access the methods of the Queue interface.

However, animals3 can only access the methods of the Deque and Queue interfaces. It's because Deque is a subinterface of Queue.