What is a StackOverflowError?

A StackOverflowError is an error that occurs when the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) runs out of space on the call stack. The call stack is a data structure that is used to store information about method calls, including the name of the method, the parameters passed to the method, and the line number where the method was called.

A StackOverflowError is typically caused by an infinite recursive function call, where a function calls itself indefinitely. For example:

public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    infiniteRecursion();
  }

  public static void infiniteRecursion() {
    infiniteRecursion(); // This line will cause a StackOverflowError
  }
}

In this example, the infiniteRecursion() method calls itself indefinitely, causing the call stack to grow until it runs out of space and throws a StackOverflowError.

A StackOverflowError can also be caused by a deep chain of method calls, where each method calls another method, resulting in a large number of method calls on the call stack.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions.