What are the basic concepts of C language linked lists?

A linked list in C language is a type of data structure used to store and manage a collection of elements. It is made up of a series of nodes, where each node contains a data element and a pointer to the next node.

The basic concept of linked lists includes:

1. Nodes: Each element in a linked list is stored in a node, which contains a data element and a pointer to the next node.
2. Head node: The first node of a linked list, typically used to denote the starting position of the list.
3. Tail node: The last node in a linked list, which has a pointer pointing to NULL to indicate the end of the list.
4. Length of a linked list: the number of nodes in the linked list can be calculated by traversing through the linked list.
5. Empty linked list: a situation where there are no nodes in the linked list, the head node is NULL.

The advantage of linked lists is that they can dynamically allocate memory, allowing for flexible insertion and deletion operations. The downside is that accessing elements in a linked list requires traversing the entire list, which can be less efficient.