What is Stack pointer?
The register that points to the current top of the stack; sp (x2) in RISC-V. In many ISAs the stack grows toward lower addresses.
Field: ISA & Assembly
Stack pointer in the explanations
Its last-in, first-out (LIFO) structure ensures correct returns even with nested or recursive calls, and the stack pointer marks its top.
When a program calls a subroutine (function), which area is…There are only eight argument registers, a0-a7, so from the ninth argument on the caller places them on the stack and the callee reads them at fixed positions relative to the stack pointer.
In the standard RISC-V calling convention, when calling a f…The executable has no section for locals; the function reserves space by moving the stack pointer at entry.
Where is a non-static local (automatic) variable declared i…
Questions that mention Stack pointer (4)
- When a program calls a subroutine (function), which area is generally used to temporarily save the return address and similar information?
- In the standard RISC-V calling convention, when calling a function with ten integer arguments, where are the ninth and tenth passed?
- Where is a non-static local (automatic) variable declared inside a C function placed at run time?
- During a context switch, what must be saved for the process being switched out?
Related terms
Return address Calling convention Stack frame Context switch Page table Addressing mode Application binary interface (ABI) Assembler Branch delay slot Callee-saved register