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Stack and Heap Memory

The stack allocates and frees automatically in LIFO order with each function call and is fast but fixed-size per frame; the heap serves arbitrary-lifetime, arbitrary-size allocations that something must explicitly free. Where a value lives determines who is responsible for reclaiming it.

Questions this Concept answers

Why must a value whose size is not known until runtime live on the heap rather than the stack?

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Stack vs Heap Memory Allocation in C

The stack and the heap are two distinct regions of memory used for allocation during program execution in C, distinguished by allocation timing, speed, and lifetime scope. The stack allocates memory …