1. Stack Allocation Operations
malloc() & free()
Active C Code Generation
node *new_node = (node*) malloc(sizeof(node));
new_node->data = 100;
new_node->next = top;
top = new_node;
Heap Memory Telemetry
Allocated Nodes
2
Heap Footprint
32 bytes
Active Stack Top
0x7ffd5b8
Memory Leaks
0 blocks
Durable Export & Diagnostics
[SYS] C runtime initialized. Heap pool ready at 0x7ffd000.
[SYS] Initial stack state hydrated: node_1(42) at 0x7ffd5a1, node_2(100) at 0x7ffd5b8.
Simulated Heap Memory Layout (Splattered Allocation)
Nodes allocated dynamically via malloc(); top of stack references newest link.
top →
0x7ffd5b8
Stack is NULL (Empty)
No allocated nodes in heap. Enter a value and click "Push Node".
LIFO Stack Ready: node_2(100) is at top pointing to node_1(42). Ready to push 256.
Why Linked-List Stack instead of Contiguous Array?
In standard C, an array stack requires fixed pre-allocation or contiguous realloc() calls that can fail when memory fragmentation occurs. A linked-list stack allocates arbitrary 16-byte chunks (8-byte pointer + 4-byte payload + padding) scattered at non-contiguous hexadecimal heap addresses, linked strictly through next pointers. Push and Pop are strictly O(1) operations requiring zero memory shifting.