DFS vs BFS vs Backtracking

Comparison Table

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Scenario	DFS	DFS + Backtracking	BFS
Check if path exists	✅ Yes	❌ Overkill	✅ Yes
Need shortest path	❌ No	❌ No	🔥 Yes
Find all paths	❌ No	✅ Yes	❌ No
Avoid revisiting nodes (cycles exist)	✅ Yes	❌ Risky	✅ Yes
Memory efficient in deep graphs	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No
Works well on wide graphs	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes

• Compares three fundamental graph traversal algorithms: Regular DFS, DFS with Backtracking, and BFS

• ✅ Use DFS (no backtracking) for quick reachability checks

• 🔥 Use BFS if shortest path or level-order traversal matters

• 🧩 Use DFS with backtracking for exhaustive search or puzzles