Stack overflow is a programming error where an attempt to write data to a particular block of memory fails because there is no space left in the block. This type of error occurs in the same way as buffer overflows, heap overflows, and stack buffer overflows. The difference between these types of errors depends on the data structure of the computer used, and the common characteristic is that more data is attempted to be written than the space available to store it.
In C++, a stack overflow often manifests itself as a segmentation fault, and often no additional information is provided to determine where or how the overflow occurred.
Stack Overflow symptoms can vary depending on the computing language used and the available error reporting mechanism. In C++, a stack overflow often manifests itself as a segmentation fault, and often no additional information is provided to determine where or how the overflow occurred. An overflow in Java usually results in a virtual machine crash which generates a reasonably detailed error file. Regardless of the language in which an overflow occurs, the overflow can almost always be fixed by proper debugging and identifying the source of the original overflow.
Computer languages that offer explicit memory management are often easier to protect against stack overflows. Widely accepted programming practice generally dictates that for each memory segment that a program allocates, the program must also exclude itself. C++ allows for this mechanism, and careful monitoring in this way can keep the amount of memory a program uses to a minimum. Languages that do not offer explicit memory management and instead use implicit memory management are more difficult to protect against stack overflow errors. Java manages its own memory inside its virtual machine, so data cannot be explicitly deleted at will to make room for more.
A common mistake novice programmers make is to assume that a stack overflow cannot occur in computer languages that handle their own memory management. While it seems plausible at first glance, it’s not really the case. Languages with implicit memory management often have garbage collectors that free unnecessary blocks of memory, but these garbage collectors don’t always work when the programmer expects them to. Relying on garbage collectors is relatively dangerous and cannot always protect a program from an overflow error.
Overflow errors can be catastrophic and stop an entire program, or they can be almost silent and allow the program to continue. These second types of errors are often the most difficult to find, because an error can occur from a previous overflow of many lines of code. A stack overflow usually doesn’t require searching for an entire program, but the longer a program can run after a stack overflow, the more difficult it is to find and fix the error.
