Implementing a Stack with JavaScript: Simplifying a Complex Problem

“How would you implement a word machine that processes a sequence of #stack operations, handles overflow/underflow, and returns errors for invalid states?” was my timed ⏳ #JavaScript coding task this morning. The description looked long, technical, and full of edge cases. It sounded abstract and … possibly even something I haven’t learned yet 👀 My palms got sweaty... still, instead of trying to “understand everything at once”, I forced myself to slow down and simplify it. At its core, the problem was just: array.push() array.pop() simple arithmetic (sum and subtract) That’s it. I simulated a stack (LIFO) using a simple #array, processed each operation sequentially, and validated the stack state before each operation. What looked like a complex system was really just a question of understanding the right #DataStructure. Once I managed to recognise it and apply it with discipline, everything else followed. #CodingChallenge #JuniorDeveloper #SoftwareEngineering

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If you are interested in good ways to do this. Nunjucks open-source github repo has an example in I believe tokens.js file. Then I have rebuilt nunjucks over christmas to typescript because it was a nightmare and I reimplemented this in typescript and then to golang in the end. I'll share a github link to old and new repo showing the thought process and things to consider as it becomes more complex

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