Guide to Depth-First Search (DFS)

What is Depth-First Search?

Depth-First Search (DFS) is a fundamental algorithm for traversing or searching tree or graph data structures. The algorithm starts at the root node and explores as far along each branch as possible before backtracking. 🐸

Steps involved in DFS

1. Start by visiting the root node.
2. Move to an adjacent unvisited node, marking nodes as visited.
3. Repeat the process until the last node, then backtrack.

Examples and Applications

DFS is used in several areas of computing, including:

• Pathfinding algorithms
• Solving puzzles such as mazes
• Topological sorting

Dive Deeper

Want more algorithmic goodness? Check out our other guides:

• Breadth-First Search (BFS) Guide
• Sorting Algorithms

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Interactive DFS Visualization

Explore DFS with our interactive visualization tool here.