Explain the linked list data structure and its operations.

A linked list is a linear data structure where each element, known as a node, contains a value and a reference to the next node in the list. The last node in the list points to null, indicating the end of the list.

The operations commonly performed on a linked list include:

1. Insertion: Adding a new node to the list. This can be done at the beginning, end, or at a specific position in the list.

2. Deletion: Removing a node from the list. Similar to insertion, deletion can be performed at the beginning, end, or at a specific position in the list.

3. Traversal: Visiting each node in the list to perform a specific operation. This can be done by starting from the head node and moving to the next node until the end of the list is reached.

4. Searching: Finding a specific value in the list. This involves traversing the list and comparing each node's value with the target value.

5. Updating: Modifying the value of a node in the list.

6. Concatenation: Combining two linked lists to form a single linked list.

7. Reversal: Changing the order of nodes in the list, so the last node becomes the first and vice versa.

Linked lists are dynamic data structures that allow efficient insertion and deletion operations, but they have slower access times compared to arrays since accessing a specific element requires traversing the list from the beginning.