Chapter XIII · Call Stack
Stack Overflow
A stack overflow occurs when the call stack exceeds its maximum memory allocation limit, usually caused by infinite recursion.
01 How It Works
Think of piling boxes onto a small table until the entire tower collapses under weight limits.
Every nested function call adds a frame to the stack. Without an exit condition, stack frames accumulate until memory exhaustion.
example.js
function recurse() {
recurse(); // Infinite recursive call without base case
}
recurse(); // RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded1. Function calls itself continuously without a base case.
2. Stack memory fills up past browser/runtime limits.
3. Engine throws a RangeError exception.
02 Practical Example
Here is how you might see this concept applied in real-world code:
practical.js
// Safe recursion with base case prevents stack overflow:
function countdown(n) {
if (n <= 0) return;
countdown(n - 1);
}
countdown(5);Key Takeaway
Always ensure recursive functions have clear base case exit conditions to prevent stack overflows.