Description
In computer science, a call stack is a stack data structure that stores information about the active subroutines of a computer program. This kind of stack is also known as an execution stack , program stack , control stack , run-time stack , or machine stack , and is often shortened to just " the stack ". Although maintenance of the call stack is important for the proper functioning of most software, the details are normally hidden and automatic in high-level programming languages. Many computer instruction sets provide special instructions for manipulating stacks.
A call stack is used for several related purposes, but the main reason for
having one is to keep track of the point to which each active subroutine
should return control when it finishes executing. An active subroutine is one
that has been called, but is yet to complete execution, after which control
should be handed back to the point of call. Such activations of subroutines
may be nested to any level (recursive as a special case), hence the stack
structure. For example, if a subroutine DrawSquare calls a subroutine
DrawLine from four different places, DrawLine must know where to return
when its execution completes. To accomplish this, the address following the
instruction that jumps to DrawLine, the return address , is pushed onto
the top of the call stack with each call.
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