How Deep Can Recursion Go in C ?

Does C Limit Recursion Depth?

Unlike Python, which is interpreted and has a maximum recursion depth, C is a compiled language. Therefore, its recursion depth is primarily limited by the maximum size of the stack, which is typically much smaller than the available RAM.

The stack limit is often adjustable at the operating system level. For instance, on macOS, the default stack size is 8 MB, and this limit can be tuned using the ulimit shell command.

However, the stack size alone does not fully determine the maximum recursion depth. The activation record size of the recursive function (also known as the stack frame) must also be considered. This size can be determined using a debugger's disassembler, which displays the stack pointer adjustments at the beginning and end of each function.

By understanding the stack size and activation record size, it is possible to estimate the maximum depth of recursion achievable in a particular C program before the stack overflow exception is encountered.

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