Circular Linked List

In this article, you will learn what circular linked list is and its types with
implementation.

A circular linked list is a type of linked list in which the first and the last
nodes are also connected to each other to form a circle.
There are basically two types of circular linked list:

1. Circular Singly Linked List

Here, the address of the last node consists of the address of the first node.

Circular Linked List Representation

2. Circular Doubly Linked List
Here, in addition to the last node storing the address of the first node, the
first node will also store the address of the last node.

Circular Doubly Linked List Representation

Note: We will be using the singly circular linked list to represent the working
of circular linked list.

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Representation of Circular Linked List
Let's see how we can represent a circular linked list on an algorithm/code.
Suppose we have a linked list:

Initial circular linked list

Here, the single node is represented as

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

Each struct node has a data item and a pointer to the next struct node.

Now we will create a simple circular linked list with three items to
understand how this works.

/* Initialize nodes */
struct node *last;
struct node *one = NULL;
struct node *two = NULL;
struct node *three = NULL;

/* Allocate memory */
one = malloc(sizeof(struct node));
two = malloc(sizeof(struct node));
three = malloc(sizeof(struct node));

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/* Assign data values */
one->data = 1;
two->data = 2;
three->data = 3;

/* Connect nodes */
one->next = two;
two->next = three;
three->next = one;

/* Save address of third node in last */

last = three;

In the above code, one, two, and three are the nodes with data items 1, 2,
and 3 respectively.

For node one

• next stores the address of two (there is no node before it)
For node two
• next stores the address of three

For node three

• next stores NULL (there is no node after it)
• next points to node one

Insertion on a Circular Linked List

We can insert elements at 3 different positions of a circular linked list:

1. Insertion at the beginning

2. Insertion in-between nodes
3. Insertion at the end
Suppose we have a circular linked list with elements 1, 2, and 3.

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Initial circular linked list
Let's add a node with value 6 at different positions of the circular linked list
we made above. The first step is to create a new node.

• allocate memory for newNode

• assign the data to newNode

New node

1. Insertion at the Beginning

• store the address of the current first node in the newNode (i.e. pointing
the newNode to the current first node)
• point the last node to newNode (i.e making newNode as head)

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Insert at the beginning

2. Insertion in between two nodes

Let's insert newNode after the first node.

• travel to the node given (let this node be p )

• point the next of newNode to the node next to p

• store the address of newNode at next of p

Insertion at a node

3. Insertion at the end

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 • store the address of the head node to next of newNode
(making newNode the last node)
• point the current last node to newNode

• make newNode as the last node

Insert at the end

Deletion on a Circular Linked List

Suppose we have a double-linked list with elements 1, 2, and 3.

Initial circular linked list

1. If the node to be deleted is the only node

• free the memory occupied by the node

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 • store NULL in last

2. If last node is to be deleted

• find the node before the last node (let it be temp )

• store the address of the node next to the last node in temp

• free the memory of last

• make temp as the last node

Delete the last node

3. If any other nodes are to be deleted

• travel to the node to be deleted (here we are deleting node 2)

• let the node before node 2 be temp

• store the address of the node next to 2 in temp

• free the memory of 2

Delete a specific node

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Circular Linked List Code in C++
// C++ code to perform circular linked list operations

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

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

struct Node* addToEmpty(struct Node* last, int data) {

if (last != NULL) return last;

// allocate memory to the new node

struct Node* newNode = (struct Node*)malloc(sizeof(struct Node));

// assign data to the new node

newNode->data = data;

// assign last to newNode

last = newNode;

// create link to iteself

last->next = last;

return last;
}

// add node to the front

struct Node* addFront(struct Node* last, int data) {
// check if the list is empty
if (last == NULL) return addToEmpty(last, data);

// allocate memory to the new node

struct Node* newNode = (struct Node*)malloc(sizeof(struct Node));

// add data to the node

newNode->data = data;

// store the address of the current first node in the newNode

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 newNode->next = last->next;

// make newNode as head

last->next = newNode;

return last;
}

// add node to the end

struct Node* addEnd(struct Node* last, int data) {
// check if the node is empty
if (last == NULL) return addToEmpty(last, data);

// allocate memory to the new node

struct Node* newNode = (struct Node*)malloc(sizeof(struct Node));

// add data to the node

newNode->data = data;

// store the address of the head node to next of newNode

newNode->next = last->next;

// point the current last node to the newNode

last->next = newNode;

// make newNode as the last node

last = newNode;

return last;
}

// insert node after a specific node

struct Node* addAfter(struct Node* last, int data, int item) {
// check if the list is empty
if (last == NULL) return NULL;

struct Node *newNode, *p;

p = last->next;
do {
// if the item is found, place newNode after it
if (p->data == item) {
// allocate memory to the new node
newNode = (struct Node*)malloc(sizeof(struct Node));

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 // add data to the node
newNode->data = data;

// make the next of the current node as the next of newNode

newNode->next = p->next;

// put newNode to the next of p

p->next = newNode;

// if p is the last node, make newNode as the last node

if (p == last) last = newNode;
return last;
}

p = p->next;
} while (p != last->next);

cout << "\nThe given node is not present in the list" << endl;
return last;
}

// delete a node
void deleteNode(Node** last, int key) {
// if linked list is empty
if (*last == NULL) return;

// if the list contains only a single node

if ((*last)->data == key && (*last)->next == *last) {
free(*last);
*last = NULL;
return;
}

Node *temp = *last, *d;

// if last is to be deleted
if ((*last)->data == key) {
// find the node before the last node
while (temp->next != *last) temp = temp->next;

// point temp node to the next of last i.e. first node

temp->next = (*last)->next;
free(*last);

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 *last = temp->next;
}

// travel to the node to be deleted

while (temp->next != *last && temp->next->data != key) {
temp = temp->next;
}

// if node to be deleted was found

if (temp->next->data == key) {
d = temp->next;
temp->next = d->next;
free(d);
}
}

void traverse(struct Node* last) {

struct Node* p;

if (last == NULL) {
cout << "The list is empty" << endl;
return;
}

p = last->next;

do {
cout << p->data << " ";
p = p->next;

} while (p != last->next);
}

int main() {
struct Node* last = NULL;

last = addToEmpty(last, 6);

last = addEnd(last, 8);
last = addFront(last, 2);

last = addAfter(last, 10, 2);

traverse(last);

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 deleteNode(&last, 8);
cout << endl;

traverse(last);

return 0;
}

Circular Linked List Complexity

Circular Linked List Time
Space Complexity
Complexity Complexity

Insertion Operation O(1) or O(n) O(1)

Deletion Operation O(1) O(1)

1. Complexity of Insertion Operation

• The insertion operations that do not require traversal have the time
complexity of O(1) .

• And, an insertion that requires traversal has a time complexity of O(n) .

• The space complexity is O(1) .

2. Complexity of Deletion Operation

• All deletion operations run with a time complexity of O(1) .

• And, the space complexity is O(1) .

Why Circular Linked List?

1. The NULL assignment is not required because a node always points
to another node.

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 2. The starting point can be set to any node.

3. Traversal from the first node to the last node is quick.

Circular Linked List Applications

• It is used in multiplayer games to give a chance to each player to
play the game.

• Multiple running applications can be placed in a circular linked list on

an operating system. The os keeps on iterating over these
applications.

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