stack trace
Pronunciation: STAK trays
A report generated by a runtime environment that lists the sequence of function or method calls active at the moment an error or exception occurred, used for debugging.
Full Definition
A stack trace (also called a backtrace or traceback) provides a snapshot of the call stack at the point of program failure, showing the chain of function calls that led to the error. It typically includes the function names, file names, and line numbers involved. In documentation, 'stack trace' is two words and lowercase. Editors should distinguish it from an error message (which is the human-readable description of what went wrong) and a log file (which is a continuous record of events). 'Stacktrace' as one word is a variant spelling occasionally seen in informal contexts but is non-standard.
Usage
Usage note: Two words, lowercase: 'stack trace'. 'Stacktrace' (one word) is informal and non-standard. Distinguish from the error message itself, which is the human-readable summary.
In Context
- "Paste the full stack trace into the issue tracker so the team can reproduce the bug." — Bug reporting guide
- "The stack trace revealed that the null pointer exception originated in the payment service's constructor." — Post-mortem report