Graphs / Connectivity
4.2.3 Strongly Connected Components (Tarjan)
Given a directed graph, determine the strongly connected components (SCCs) using Tarjan's algorithm. A strongly connected component is a maximal set of nodes where every node can reach every other node. Condensing each SCC into one node produces a directed acyclic graph. A single depth-first search keeps visit nodes on a stack and tracks each node's low-link, the smallest entry time reachable from its subtree; a node whose low-link equals its own entry time roots a component, which is popped off the stack in one piece.
TarjanSCC(n = 0)constructs a directed graph ofnnodes numbered $[0, {\htmlClass{math-inline-code}{\texttt{n}}})$.add_edge(u, v)adds the directed edge fromutov.build_scc()computes the strongly connected components.components()returns the strongly connected components from the lastbuild_scc()call.component_id(v)returns the component ID containing nodev. Component IDs are in reverse topological order: for every edge from component $a$ to a different component $b$, $a > b$.
Implementation
#include <algorithm>
#include <climits>
#include <vector>
class TarjanSCC {
static const int INF = INT_MAX / 2;
std::vector<std::vector<int>> adj, scc;
std::vector<int> component, active, lowlink;
std::vector<char> visit;
int timer;
void dfs(int u) {
lowlink[u] = timer++;
visit[u] = true;
active.push_back(u);
bool is_component_root = true;
for (int v : adj[u]) {
if (!visit[v]) {
dfs(v);
}
if (lowlink[u] > lowlink[v]) {
lowlink[u] = lowlink[v];
is_component_root = false;
}
}
if (!is_component_root) {
return;
}
std::vector<int> comp_nodes;
int id = static_cast<int>(scc.size());
int v;
do {
v = active.back();
active.pop_back();
lowlink[v] = INF; // marks v as removed from the active stack
component[v] = id;
comp_nodes.push_back(v);
} while (u != v);
scc.push_back(comp_nodes);
}
public:
explicit TarjanSCC(int n = 0) : adj(n) {}
void add_edge(int u, int v) { adj[u].push_back(v); }
void build_scc() {
int n = static_cast<int>(adj.size());
scc.clear();
component.assign(n, -1);
active.clear();
lowlink.assign(n, 0);
visit.assign(n, false);
timer = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
if (!visit[i]) {
dfs(i);
}
}
}
const std::vector<std::vector<int>> &components() const { return scc; }
int component_id(int v) const { return component[v]; }
};
Example Usage
#include <cassert>
using namespace std;
int main() {
// 0 ---> 1 ----> 2 <---> 3
// ^ / | | ^
// | / | | |
// | / | | |
// | v v v v
// 4 ---> 5 <---> 6 <---- 7
TarjanSCC g(8);
g.add_edge(0, 1);
g.add_edge(1, 2);
g.add_edge(1, 4);
g.add_edge(1, 5);
g.add_edge(2, 3);
g.add_edge(2, 6);
g.add_edge(3, 2);
g.add_edge(3, 7);
g.add_edge(4, 0);
g.add_edge(4, 5);
g.add_edge(5, 6);
g.add_edge(6, 5);
g.add_edge(7, 3);
g.add_edge(7, 6);
g.build_scc();
// SCC condensation DAG:
// {0,1,4} -> {2,3,7} -> {5,6}
// \-------------------^
vector<vector<int>> components = g.components();
for (auto &component : components) {
sort(component.begin(), component.end());
}
sort(components.begin(), components.end());
assert((components == vector<vector<int>>{{0, 1, 4}, {2, 3, 7}, {5, 6}}));
assert(g.component_id(0) == g.component_id(1) && g.component_id(1) == g.component_id(4));
assert(g.component_id(2) == g.component_id(3) && g.component_id(3) == g.component_id(7));
assert(g.component_id(5) == g.component_id(6));
assert(g.component_id(0) != g.component_id(2) && g.component_id(2) != g.component_id(5));
return 0;
}
/*
Given a directed graph, determine the strongly connected components (SCCs) using Tarjan's algorithm.
A strongly connected component is a maximal set of nodes where every node can reach every other
node. Condensing each SCC into one node produces a directed acyclic graph. A single depth-first
search keeps visit nodes on a stack and tracks each node's low-link, the smallest entry time
reachable from its subtree; a node whose low-link equals its own entry time roots a component, which
is popped off the stack in one piece.
- `TarjanSCC(n = 0)` constructs a directed graph of `n` nodes numbered $[0, `n`)$.
- `add_edge(u, v)` adds the directed edge from `u` to `v`.
- `build_scc()` computes the strongly connected components.
- `components()` returns the strongly connected components from the last `build_scc()` call.
- `component_id(v)` returns the component ID containing node `v`. Component IDs are in reverse
topological order: for every edge from component $a$ to a different component $b$, $a > b$.
Time Complexity:
- O(max(n, m)) per call to `build_scc()`, where $n$ is the number of nodes and $m$ is the number of
edges.
Space Complexity:
- O(max(n, m)) for storage of the graph, SCCs, and component IDs.
- O(n) auxiliary stack space.
*/
#include <algorithm>
#include <climits>
#include <vector>
class TarjanSCC {
static const int INF = INT_MAX / 2;
std::vector<std::vector<int>> adj, scc;
std::vector<int> component, active, lowlink;
std::vector<char> visit;
int timer;
void dfs(int u) {
lowlink[u] = timer++;
visit[u] = true;
active.push_back(u);
bool is_component_root = true;
for (int v : adj[u]) {
if (!visit[v]) {
dfs(v);
}
if (lowlink[u] > lowlink[v]) {
lowlink[u] = lowlink[v];
is_component_root = false;
}
}
if (!is_component_root) {
return;
}
std::vector<int> comp_nodes;
int id = static_cast<int>(scc.size());
int v;
do {
v = active.back();
active.pop_back();
lowlink[v] = INF; // marks v as removed from the active stack
component[v] = id;
comp_nodes.push_back(v);
} while (u != v);
scc.push_back(comp_nodes);
}
public:
explicit TarjanSCC(int n = 0) : adj(n) {}
void add_edge(int u, int v) { adj[u].push_back(v); }
void build_scc() {
int n = static_cast<int>(adj.size());
scc.clear();
component.assign(n, -1);
active.clear();
lowlink.assign(n, 0);
visit.assign(n, false);
timer = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
if (!visit[i]) {
dfs(i);
}
}
}
const std::vector<std::vector<int>> &components() const { return scc; }
int component_id(int v) const { return component[v]; }
};
/*** Example Usage ***/
#include <cassert>
using namespace std;
int main() {
// 0 ---> 1 ----> 2 <---> 3
// ^ / | | ^
// | / | | |
// | / | | |
// | v v v v
// 4 ---> 5 <---> 6 <---- 7
TarjanSCC g(8);
g.add_edge(0, 1);
g.add_edge(1, 2);
g.add_edge(1, 4);
g.add_edge(1, 5);
g.add_edge(2, 3);
g.add_edge(2, 6);
g.add_edge(3, 2);
g.add_edge(3, 7);
g.add_edge(4, 0);
g.add_edge(4, 5);
g.add_edge(5, 6);
g.add_edge(6, 5);
g.add_edge(7, 3);
g.add_edge(7, 6);
g.build_scc();
// SCC condensation DAG:
// {0,1,4} -> {2,3,7} -> {5,6}
// \-------------------^
vector<vector<int>> components = g.components();
for (auto &component : components) {
sort(component.begin(), component.end());
}
sort(components.begin(), components.end());
assert((components == vector<vector<int>>{{0, 1, 4}, {2, 3, 7}, {5, 6}}));
assert(g.component_id(0) == g.component_id(1) && g.component_id(1) == g.component_id(4));
assert(g.component_id(2) == g.component_id(3) && g.component_id(3) == g.component_id(7));
assert(g.component_id(5) == g.component_id(6));
assert(g.component_id(0) != g.component_id(2) && g.component_id(2) != g.component_id(5));
return 0;
}