Managing Stack Capacity: When Full is Too Full

Stacks have a limit, just like many other things in life. In computational terms, this limitation is often defined when you create your stack. This is a crucial aspect of stack management you should be aware of, especially when working with stacks in languages like C++ or Java.

How Big Is Your Stack?

In many programming languages, the default size of a stack is generally large enough for most applications. However, this size can vary depending on the language or even the compiler. For instance, in C++, the default capacity is compiler-dependent and can be queried using the deque::max_size method.

1let myDeque = [];
2console.log("Maximum size of my stack: " + Number.MAX_VALUE);

When Stack Overflows

A stack is considered full when it has as many elements as its capacity allows. Attempting to push an element onto a full stack results in what is known as a stack overflow. While many languages automatically manage memory and resize the stack for you, some do not. In those cases, you'll need to handle stack overflows explicitly.

When Stack Underflows

On the flip side, a stack is empty when it contains zero elements. If you try to pop an element from an empty stack, you'll encounter a stack underflow. This is another edge case you'll need to account for in your code.

1let stack = [];
2if (stack.length === 0) {
3    console.log("Stack is empty. Cannot pop.");
4}