栈和堆的大小

Question

i read that the size of the stack in c in windows is 1 MB, and 8MB in linux, by default. but that size can be changed.

1 - why would i use the heap when i am worried about size limits when i can change the stack to fit all the data?

2 - what are the disadvantages of changing the limit of the stack and making it bigger?

Answer 1

1 - why would i use the heap when i am worried about size limits when i can change the stack to fit all the data?

It's not about size, it's about lifetime . Objects with auto storage duration (ie, allocated from the stack in most implementations) only exist for the lifetime of their enclosing scope or function. That matters if you need something to persist across multiple function calls (such as a node in a list or tree).

Objects with allocated storage duration (ie, allocated from the heap using malloc , calloc , or realloc ) exist until you explicitly deallocate them ( free ).

2 - what are the disadvantages of changing the limit of the stack and making it bigger?

You're making assumptions about what the underlying implementation can support, which can limit your ability to port code to other platforms (which may or may not be a concern for you). You're also trading frame size for stack depth - you'll run out of stack space faster if you set aside more space per function call, which can matter for deeply nested calls or recursive algorithms ¹ .

This is why the usual practice is to either allocate very large objects dynamically, or to make them static .

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1. Granted, on a modern hosted implementation with several gigabytes of virtual address space that's not a major concern, but could be an issue on embedded platforms or other memory-constrained environments. Remember that C is a product of the early 1970s, and a lot of current practice was developed on systems with total memory measured in kilobytes.

Answer 2

Note: This answer is ment to be edited and extended with more dis/advantages...

Disadvantages of using the stack:

• Objects on the stack live only as long as the creating block is active. You can hand over references to called methods/functions, but you cannot return references to callers.
• The space for the stack is allocated completely at the start of the program, AFAIK. It reduces the available memory for other programs. The heap is allocated dynamically and may grow as needed.
• Unless your compiler knows how to do it and you compile with appropriate options, your program will not detect memory overflows, which may arise from programming errors or wrong assumptions.

Advantages of using the stack:

• Writing less code.
• Automatic freeing allocated space when the object on the stack quits its life.