A Curated Collection of Visualization Websites for Algorithms, Data Structures, MESI Protocol, and TCP Mechanisms

Hello, I'm Xiao Lin. Previously I shared several websites that help visualize specific concepts such as algorithms, TCP sliding windows, and the MESI protocol using animated models that accept user parameters.

Below is a curated collection of such visualization sites for easy reference.

Algorithm Visualization Websites

Structure Visualization

The Data Structure Visualization site (https://www.cs.usfca.edu/~galles/visualization/) offers animated demos for many common data structures and algorithms, including heaps, stacks, queues, linked lists, factorial, string reversal, N‑Queens, sorting, binary trees, AVL trees, red‑black trees, B/B+ trees, hash tables, graphs, and dynamic programming. The site is originally in English; I have provided Chinese translations for convenience.

Example: a balanced binary tree animation (see GIF).

VisuAlgo

VisuAlgo (https://visualgo.net/) is another excellent data‑structure and algorithm visualizer that supports Chinese language display.

It includes a search function for less‑common structures and provides an animated quick‑sort demonstration with synchronized code execution.

Algorithm Visualizer

Algorithm Visualizer (https://algorithm-visualizer.org/) is a powerful tool that supports C++, Java, and JavaScript. Users can modify the provided code while watching the animation. An example shown is the insertion operation in a binary search tree.

MESI Protocol Visualization Website

The online MESI protocol simulator (https://www.scss.tcd.ie/Jeremy.Jones/VivioJS/caches/MESIHelp.htm) visualizes cache‑coherency state transitions. It displays three sections: memory addresses and data, CPU caches with MESI states, and CPU operations (read/write) for three CPUs. The site also illustrates the three buses (data, address, and a shared bus) involved in state changes.

Interactive steps demonstrate how reading a variable by different CPUs updates cache states from Exclusive (E) to Shared (S) and how data flows via the buses.

TCP Visualization Websites

Sliding‑Window Visualizer

Website: https://www2.tkn.tu-berlin.de/teaching/rn/animations/gbn_sr/

It animates sender and receiver windows, showing packet colors for sent/acknowledged data, unacknowledged data, window size, and timeout retransmissions. Users can adjust parameters such as window size, timeout, transmission rate, and acknowledgment mode.

Examples include normal acknowledgment mode (retransmitting all unacknowledged packets) and selective acknowledgment mode (retransmitting only lost packets).

Flow‑Control Visualizer

Website: https://www2.tkn.tu-berlin.de/teaching/rn/animations/flow/

This demo illustrates TCP flow control with adjustable parameters like file size, buffer size, and propagation time. It shows kernel and application buffers on both sender and receiver sides, and demonstrates how a zero‑window advertisement pauses transmission.

Both visualizers complement the earlier written article on TCP retransmission, sliding windows, flow control, and congestion control.

Feel free to explore these sites and share additional visualization resources in the comments.