👀 Views: 42 💬 Answers: 1 📅 Created: 2025-06-29

javascript recursion performance JavaScript

I'm integrating two systems and I'm attempting to set up I am currently working with performance optimization and unexpected behavior when using a recursive function to process a large dataset in JavaScript... The function is intended to traverse a nested object structure and accumulate values based on a specific key. However, when the dataset exceeds a certain depth, I receive a 'Maximum call stack size exceeded' behavior. Here's a simplified version of my function: ```javascript function accumulateValues(data, key) { let total = 0; for (const item of data) { if (item[key]) { total += item[key]; } if (item.children && item.children.length > 0) { total += accumulateValues(item.children, key); } } return total; } ``` I've tried increasing the stack size in my Node.js environment using `--stack_size=100000`, but that doesn't seem to help. Additionally, I attempted to switch to an iterative approach using a stack to avoid deep recursion: ```javascript function accumulateValuesIterative(data, key) { let total = 0; const stack = [...data]; while (stack.length > 0) { const item = stack.pop(); if (item[key]) { total += item[key]; } if (item.children && item.children.length > 0) { stack.push(...item.children); } } return total; } ``` While the iterative version works without hitting the stack limit, its performance is noticeably slower with larger datasets. When profiling, I see that the recursive version is significantly more efficient in terms of speed compared to the iterative one. Is there a best practice or a design pattern I’m missing out on that could guide to manage deep recursion effectively or optimize the iterative approach? I’m using Node.js v14.17.0 and my dataset can reach hundreds of thousands of entries. I'd be grateful for any help. The stack includes Javascript and several other technologies. Hoping someone can shed some light on this.