Red-Black Trees

Search Tree Structures

Binary Search Trees (BSTs) Multi-way Search

Trees

Optimal AVL Red-Black B-Trees Tries

BSTs Trees Trees
2-3-4 2-3
Trees Trees

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Red-Black Trees property

• A red-black tree is a binary search tree in which every node is colored

either red or black.

• Any red-black trees satisfies the following properties:

• RB1. The root and all external nodes are colored black.

• RB2. No root-to-external-node path has two consecutive red nodes.

• RB3. All root-to-external-node paths have the same number of black nodes.
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Red-Black Trees Insertion

1. Find proper external node.

2. Insert and color node red.

3. No black depth violation but may violate the red-black parent-child

relationship.

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Color adjustments
• Red child, red parent. Parent has a red sibling.
a a

b u b u

v w v w

z z

6-1 6-2
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Rotation
• Red child, red parent. Parent no sibling or parent has a black
sibling. a
a
b u
b z
v
v u

7-1 7-2
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A sequence of insertions into a red-black tree

initial tree insertion of 7 insertion of 12, after restructuring

which causes a
double red

insertion of 15, after recoloring insertion of 3 insertion of 5

which causes a (the root remains
double red black)
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Red-Black Trees Delete

When we delete a node in a red-black tree, the following red-black tree

properties may be violated:

• There are no two consecutive red nodes.

• Every path from any node to all its leaf nodes has the same number of
black nodes.

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Red-Black Trees Delete steps
• Let y be the node to be removed

• If y was red, no property could get violated, so just remove it.

• Otherwise, remove it and call the tree-fix algorithm on y’s child x (the
node which replaced the position of y)

• The tree-fix algorithm has four subcases

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Tree Fix algorithm cases: case (1)
x is red

• The simplest case

• x has a black token and is colored red, so just color it black and
remove token a we are done!

• In other cases x is black

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Tree Fix algorithm cases: case (2)
x’s sibling is red
Left_rotate(y)

Colors of y and z
were swapped

Remarks:
• the roots of subtrees C and D
are black
Right_rotate(y) Colors of x and y
• the second is the symmetric were swapped
case, when x is the right
child
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Tree Fix algorithm cases: case (3)
x’s sibling is black and both nephews are black

Remarks:
• nephews are roots of subtrees C and D
• the black token is passed one level up

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Tree Fix algorithm cases: case (4)

x’s sibling is black and at least one nephew is red

Colors of y and z
Right_rotate(w) Left_rotate(y) were swapped.
Far nephew is
colored black and
black token is removed.
Colors of z and w
were swapped

Colors of z and y
Left_rotate(x) Right_rotate(z) were swapped.
Far nephew is
colored black and
black token is removed.
Colors of x and y
were swapped
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 A sequence of removals from a red-black tree

initial tree removal of 3

after restructuring
removal of 12, causing a double black
(handled by restructuring)
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Red-Black Trees efficiency
• Let n be the number of nodes.
• All operations work in time O(log n)! – much more efficient than
linked list or arrays implementation of sorted list!

Sorted List Search Insertion Deletion

with arrays O(log n) O(n) O(n)
with linked list O(n) O(n) O(n)
with RB trees O(log n) O(log n) O(log n)

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Red-Black Trees Advantage

• self-balancing

• Efficient

• Simple structure

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Red-Black Trees Disadvantage

• not completely balanced

• Search performance is worse than AVL trees

• The algorithm is more complex

• extra space usage

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 Thank for you listening

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