Recursion vs Iteration
Learn when to use each pattern and make the right choice in your coding interview.
Quick Answer
Use Recursion when the problem has natural recursive structure (trees, divide & conquer)
Use Iteration when you need better space efficiency or the pattern is linear
Side-by-Side Comparison
Recursion
Best For
Tree traversal, backtracking, divide & conquer
Time
Depends on problem
Space
O(depth) stack space
Iteration
Best For
Array processing, linked list, simple loops
Time
Depends on problem
Space
O(1) typically
How to Decide
- Tree or graph structure? → Recursion often cleaner
- Risk of stack overflow? → Convert to iteration
- Need backtracking? → Recursion
- Simple linear processing? → Iteration
Practice Both Patterns
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