RangeError — Stack Overflow & Invalid Values

TL;DR

Explanation

RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded is the most common form — infinite or too-deep recursion. Other causes: new Array(-1) (negative size), toFixed(200) (precision out of range), String.fromCodePoint(Infinity). Unlike ReferenceError (undeclared variable) or TypeError (wrong type), RangeError is about a value being outside its valid numeric or structural range. Catching: try/catch catches RangeError from bad API calls but NOT stack overflow from recursion in most engines — stack overflow crashes the current execution context. Detection: check for recursion with a depth counter, use iterative algorithms for large inputs.

Common Misconception

Why It Matters

Common Mistakes

• Recursive functions without a base case or depth limit.
• Calling toFixed() with user-supplied precision — can be > 100 (throws RangeError).
• Not knowing new Array(n) throws for negative n.

Code Examples

function flatten(arr) {
    return arr.reduce((acc, val) =>
        Array.isArray(val) ? acc.concat(flatten(val)) : acc.concat(val), []
    );
}
flatten(deeplyNestedArray); // RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded

// Iterative with explicit stack:
function flatten(arr) {
    const stack = [...arr];
    const result = [];
    while (stack.length) {
        const item = stack.pop();
        if (Array.isArray(item)) stack.push(...item);
        else result.push(item);
    }
    return result.reverse();
}

// Or with depth limit:
function flatten(arr, depth = 10) {
    if (depth === 0) return arr;
    return arr.flat(depth);
}

References

• ↗ https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/RangeError

Tags

Related Terms