What is the impact of recursion on performance in programming?

What is the impact of recursion on performance in programming?

Recursion can lead to elegant solutions, but it may also cause performance issues like stack overflow and increased memory usage.

Can you explain why recursion might lead to stack overflow?

Stack overflow occurs when too many recursive calls are made, exceeding the call stack's limit, which can crash the program.

Are there alternatives to recursion that can improve performance?

Yes, iterative solutions using loops can often be more efficient and avoid the overhead of recursive calls.

When should I prefer recursion over iteration?

Recursion is preferable when the problem is naturally recursive, like tree traversals or when clarity and simplicity are prioritized.