Recursion is when a function calls itself to solve a problem by breaking it down into smaller subproblems.
Itโs everywhere โ from algorithms to UI rendering.
๐ฆ Real-world examples:
- File system traversal
- DOM rendering in React
- Tree/graph traversal
- Backtracking problems (e.g. Sudoku, N-Queens)
๐ง Key idea:
Every recursive function should have:
- A base case โ when to stop
- A recursive case โ how to reduce the problem
function countDown(n) { if (n === 0) return; console.log(n); countDown(n - 1); }
๐จ Gotchas:
- Recursion can be elegant, but deep recursion may lead to stack overflow.
- Sometimes it's better to refactor to an iterative solution.
โก TL;DR
- Recursion helps solve problems by thinking in terms of subproblems.
- Just make sure it has a clear base case to avoid infinite loops.
- It's powerful, but use it wisely โ especially with large inputs.
๐ฌ Want a post with real coding problems that use recursion? Let me know!
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