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{{Short description|Question-and-answer website for computer programmers}}
{{primarysources|date=May 2009}}
{{for-multi|the general term|Stack overflow|and|Stack overflow (disambiguation)|the parent company|Stack Exchange}}
{{otheruses2|Stack overflow}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox Website
{{Infobox website
| name = Stack Overflow
| logo name = [[File:Stack Overflow websiteExchange, logoInc.png]]
| logo = {{Dark mode switch|[[File:Stack Overflow DarkMode Logo.svg|250px]]|[[File:Stack Overflow logo.svg|250px]]|logo}}
| screenshot = [[File:StackOverflow.png|280px]]
| screenshot = StackOverflow.com Top Questions Page Screenshot.png
| caption = Screenshot of Stack Overflow as of March 2009
| caption = Screenshot in June 2022
| url = http://www.stackoverflow.com/
| url = {{Official URL}}
| alexa = 2,347<ref>{{cite web
| commercial = Yes
| title = Statistics from [[Alexa Internet]]
| programming_language = [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]]
| url = http://alexa.com/siteinfo/stackoverflow.com
| content_license = {{unbulleted list|[[Creative Commons license|CC BY-SA]] 2.5 (until April 2011)|CC BY-SA 3.0 (until May 2018)|CC BY-SA 4.0}}
| accessdate = 2009-05-18}}</ref>
| type = [[Knowledge market]]<br />[[Q&A website|Question and answer]]
| commercial = Yes
| language = {{hlist|English|Spanish|Russian|Portuguese|Japanese}}
| type = Question & Answer
| registration = Optional
| language = [[English language|English]]
| registration owner = Optional; Uses [[OpenIDProsus]]
| author = [[Jeff Atwood]] and [[Joel Spolsky]]
| owner = Stackoverflow.com LLC
| CEO = Prashanth Chandrasekar
| author = [[Joel Spolsky]] and Jeff Atwood
| launch_date = {{start date and age|df=yes|2008|9|15}}<ref>{{cite web |access-date=2014-07-07 |url=http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2008/09/15.html |title=Stack Overflow Launches |last=Spolsky |first=Joel |date=2008-09-15 |publisher=Joel on Software |archive-date=14 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214111921/https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2008/09/15/stack-overflow-launches/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| launch date = August 2008
| revenue =
| current status = Online
| revenue =
| slogan =
}}
 
'''Stack Overflow''' is a [[Question-and-answer site|question-and-answer website]] for [[computer programmers]]. Created in 2008 by [[Jeff Atwood]] and [[Joel Spolsky]],<ref name="introducing">{{cite web |author=Jeff Atwood |date=2008-04-16 |title=Introducing Stackoverflow.com |url=http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001101.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203112658/http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001101.html |archive-date=3 February 2010 |access-date=2009-03-11 |work=Coding Horror |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Jeff Atwood |date=2008-09-10 |title=None of Us is as Dumb as All of Us |url=http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001169.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090314173417/http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001169.html |archive-date=14 March 2009 |access-date=2009-03-11 |work=Coding Horror}}</ref> it is the flagship site of the [[Stack Exchange|Stack Exchange Network]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Sewak|first=M.|title=Finding a Growth Business Model at Stack Overflow, Inc.|journal=Stanford CasePublisher|date=18 May 2010|volume=Rev. 20 July 2010|issue=2010–204–1|url=http://www.stanford.edu/class/ee204/Publications/Finding%20a%20Growth%20Business%20Model%20at%20Stack%20Overflow.pdf|access-date=23 May 2014|publisher=Stanford University School of Engineering|id=204-2010-1|display-authors=etal|archive-date=13 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813013908/http://www.stanford.edu/class/ee204/Publications/Finding%20a%20Growth%20Business%20Model%20at%20Stack%20Overflow.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Stack Exchange Network Legal Links |url=https://stackexchange.com/legal |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820103131/http://stackexchange.com/legal |archive-date=20 August 2014 |access-date=2012-01-02 |work=Stack Exchange |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
'''Stack Overflow''' is a [[website]] featuring questions and answers on a wide range of topics in [[computer programming]].<ref name="secrets">{{cite web
| title = Secrets of social= siteStack successExchange API
| url = httphttps://www.sdtimesstackexchange.com/SHORT_TAKES_APRIL_15_2009legal/About_SHORTTAKES/33403 terms-of-service
| workauthor = SDStack Overflow Internet TimesServices, Inc.
| date = 20092010-0406-15 08
|access-date = 2010-06-08
| accessdate = 2009-04-16
|work = Stack Apps
| author = Alan Zeichick}}</ref><ref name="slashdot">{{cite web
|archive-date = 26 April 2011
| title = Spolsky's Software Q-and-A Site
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110426013228/https://stackexchange.com/legal/terms-of-service
| url = http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/16/1910214
| work url-status = Slashdot live
}}</ref> Stack Overflow features questions and answers on certain [[computer programming]] topics,<ref>{{cite web
| date = 2008-09-16
|title = Secrets of social site success
| accessdate = 2009-05-23}}</ref><ref name="google-tech-talks">{{cite web
|url = http://www.sdtimes.com/SHORT_TAKES_APRIL_15_2009/About_SHORTTAKES/33403
| title = Google Tech Talks: Learning from StackOverflow.com
|work = [[SD Times]]
| url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWHfY_lvKIQ
|date author = Joel Spolsky = 2009-04-15
|access-date = 2009-04-16
| publisher = YouTube
| dateauthor = 2009-04-24Alan Zeichick
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090426045609/http://www.sdtimes.com/SHORT_TAKES_APRIL_15_2009/About_SHORTTAKES/33403
| accessdate = 2009-05-23}}</ref>
|archive-date = 26 April 2009
|url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| title = Spolsky's Software Q-and-A Site
| url = http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/16/1910214
| work = Slashdot
| date = 2008-09-16
| access-date = 2009-05-23
| archive-date = 16 May 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090516073225/http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08%2F09%2F16%2F1910214
| url-status = live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|title = Google Tech Talks: Learning from StackOverflow.com
|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWHfY_lvKIQ
|author = Joel Spolsky
|publisher = YouTube
|date = 2009-04-25
|access-date = 2009-05-23
|archive-date = 4 May 2019
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190504031536/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWHfY_lvKIQ
|url-status = live
}}</ref> and was created to be a more open alternative to earlier question-and-answer websites such as [[Experts-Exchange]]. The website was sold to [[Prosus]], a Netherlands-based consumer-internet conglomerate, on 2 June 2021 for $1.8 billion.<ref>{{cite news|last=Dummett|first=Ben|date=2 June 2021|title=Stack Overflow Sold to Tech Giant Prosus for $1.8 Billion|publisher=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/software-developer-community-stack-overflow-sold-to-tech-giant-prosus-for-1-8-billion-11622648400|access-date=2 June 2021|archive-date=29 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029175938/https://www.wsj.com/articles/software-developer-community-stack-overflow-sold-to-tech-giant-prosus-for-1-8-billion-11622648400|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
TheStack websiteOverflow featuresserves theas abilitya platform for users to ask and answer questions, and, through membership and active participation, to vote questions and answers up or down similar to [[Reddit]] and edit questions and answers in a fashion similar to a [[wiki]].<ref>{{cite fashionweb | url = http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2011/10/the-gamification.html | work = Coding Horror Blog | author = Jeff Atwood | date = 2008-09-21 | title = The Gamification | access-date = 2011-01-24 | archive-date = 1 February 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140201063225/http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2011/10/the-gamification.html | url-status = live }}</ref> Users of Stackthe Overflowwebsite can earn [[Reputation system|reputation points]] and “badges”"badges"; for example, a person is awarded 10 reputation points for receiving an “up”"up" vote on a question or an answer given to a question,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://stackoverflow.blog/2019/11/13/were-rewarding-the-question-askers/|title=Were Rewarding the Question Askers|date=13 November 2019 |access-date=20 November 2019|archive-date=16 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116115224/https://stackoverflow.blog/2019/11/13/were-rewarding-the-question-askers/|url-status=live}}</ref> and can receive badges for their valued contributions.,<ref>{{cite web | url name="soFAQ">[http https://stackoverflow.com/faq#help/whats-reputation | work = Stack Overflow FAQ,| title = “WhatWhat is Reputationreputation?”] How do I earn (lastand viewedlose) it? | access-date = 14 August 2010 | archive-date = 9 June 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130609062938/http://stackoverflow.com/help/whats-reputation | url-status = live }}</ref> which represents a [[2009-02-26gamification]]) of the traditional Q&A website. Users unlock new privileges with an increase in reputation like the ability to vote, comment, and even edit other people's posts.</ref>{{Cite web|url=https://stackoverflow.com/help/privileges|title=List of privileges|access-date=22 November 2017|archive-date=14 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214143308/https://stackoverflow.com/help/privileges|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
{{As of May 2009|2025|06}}, Stack Overflow has aboutover 64,00029 million registered users, and 169,000has received over 24 million questions and 36 million answers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=All Sites – Stack Exchange|url=https://stackexchange.com/sites?view=list#questions|access-date=2025-06-11|website=stackexchange.com|archive-date=8 June 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250608151607/https://stackexchange.com/sites?view=list#oldest|url-status=live}}</ref> The site and similar programming question-and-answer sites have globally mostly replaced programming books for day-to-day programming reference in the 2000s, and today are an important part of [[computer programming]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2021 |url=https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2021/ |access-date=2022-07-22 |website=Stack Overflow |language=en |archive-date=16 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916193418/https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2021/?utm_source=social-share |url-status=live }}</ref> Based on the type of [[tag (metadata)|tags]] assigned to the questions, the mosttop commoneight most-discussed topics on the site are [[CJavaScript]], Sharp[[Java (programming language)|C#Java]], [[.NETC Framework|.NET]], [[JavaSharp (programming language)|JavaC#]], [[ASP.NETPHP]], [[C++]],Android [[JavaScript]],(operating [[PHPsystem)|Android]], [[Python (programming language)|Python]], [[SQLjQuery]], and [[Microsoft SQL Server|SQL ServerHTML]].<ref name="tags">{{cite web | titlework = Stack Overflow: Tags| title = Tags | url = httphttps://stackoverflow.com/tags | accessdateaccess-date = 20099 December 2014 | archive-05date = 15 February 2020 | archive-26url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200215125549/https://stackoverflow.com/tags | url-status = live }}</ref>
 
== History ==
The website was created by [[Jeff Atwood]] and [[Joel Spolsky]] in 2008.<ref name="introducing"/> The name for the website was chosen by voting in April 2008 by readers of ''Coding Horror'', Atwood's programming blog.<ref>{{cite web|author=Jeff Atwood|date=2008-04-06|title=Help Name Our Website|url=http://blog.codinghorror.com/help-name-our-website/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416073345/http://blog.codinghorror.com/help-name-our-website/|archive-date=16 April 2015|access-date=2014-07-15|work=Coding Horror}}</ref> On 31 July 2008, Jeff Atwood sent out invitations encouraging his subscribers to take part in the private beta of the new website, limiting its use to those willing to test out the new software. On 15 September 2008 it was announced that the public beta version was in session and that the general public was now able to use it to seek assistance on programming related issues. The design of the Stack Overflow logo was decided by a voting process.<ref>{{cite web|title=J.Atwood & J.Spolsky founding stackoverflow.com – but we need a logo.|url=http://99designs.com/logo-design/contests/logo-stackoverflow-6774/brief#contest-breadcrumbs|publisher=99Designs.com|access-date=23 May 2014|date=30 April 2008|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182732/http://99designs.com/logo-design/contests/logo-stackoverflow-6774/brief#contest-breadcrumbs|url-status=live}}</ref>
The website was created by [[Joel Spolsky]] and Jeff Atwood in 2008<ref name="introducing">{{cite web
 
| title = Introducing Stackoverflow.com
On 3 May 2010, it was announced that Stack Overflow had raised $6 million in venture capital from a group of investors led by [[Union Square Ventures]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Ha|first=Anthony|title=Stack Overflow raises $6M to take its Q&A model beyond programming|url=https://venturebeat.com/2010/05/04/stack-overflow-funding/|publisher=VentureBeat|access-date=23 May 2014|date=4 May 2010|quote=The money we've raised means that, for the next ($6m / monthly burn rate) months, we can take on new projects, hire new people, and build new expert Q&A sites on a wide variety of new topics. Instead of opening sites in exchange for money, we’re about to launch a new, democratic system where anyone can propose a Q&A site, and, if it gets a critical mass of interested people, we'll create it.|archive-date=21 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421001812/http://venturebeat.com/2010/05/04/stack-overflow-funding/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| url = http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001101.html
 
| work = Coding Horror
In 2019, Stack Overflow named Prashanth Chandrasekar as its chief executive officer and Teresa Dietrich as its chief product officer.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fried |first1=Ina |title=Axios Login: Take Note |url=https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-login-a3657826-f987-4435-a235-bff280080da6.html?chunk=4#story4 |access-date=26 February 2020 |publisher=Axios |date=25 September 2019 |archive-date=10 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510194411/https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-login-a3657826-f987-4435-a235-bff280080da6.html?chunk=4#story4 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| date = 2008-04-16
 
| accessdate = 2009-03-11
In June 2021, [[Prosus]], a Netherlands-based subsidiary of [[South Africa]]n media company [[Naspers]], announced a deal to acquire Stack Overflow for $1.8 billion.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dummett |first1=Ben |title=Stack Overflow Sold to Tech Giant Prosus for $1.8 Billion |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/software-developer-community-stack-overflow-sold-to-tech-giant-prosus-for-1-8-billion-11622648400 |access-date=2 June 2021 |publisher=Wall St. Journal |date=2 June 2021 |archive-date=29 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029175938/https://www.wsj.com/articles/software-developer-community-stack-overflow-sold-to-tech-giant-prosus-for-1-8-billion-11622648400 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| author = Jeff Atwood}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 
| title = None of Us is as Dumb as All of Us
=== Security breach ===
| url = http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001169.html
In early May 2019, an update was deployed to Stack Overflow's development version. It contained a bug which allowed an attacker to grant themselves privileges in accessing the production version of the site. Stack Overflow published on their blog that approximately 184 public network users were affected by this breach, which "could have returned IP address, names, or emails".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/stack-overflow-says-hackers-breached-production-systems/|title=Stack Overflow says hackers breached production systems|last=Cimpanu|first=Catalin|website=ZDNet|language=en|access-date=2019-06-22|archive-date=7 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207032048/https://www.zdnet.com/article/stack-overflow-says-hackers-breached-production-systems/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ferguson |first=Mary |date=2019-05-17 |title=Update to Security Incident [May 17, 2019] |url=https://stackoverflow.blog/2019/05/17/update-to-security-incident-may-17-2019/ |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=Stack Overflow Blog |language=en-US |archive-date=19 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519214227/https://stackoverflow.blog/2019/05/17/update-to-security-incident-may-17-2019/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| work = Coding Horror
 
| date = 2008-09-16
=== 2023 controversy over AI-generated content and moderation strike ===
| accessdate = 2009-03-11
{{excerpt|Stack Exchange|June–August 2023 moderation strike}}
| author = Jeff Atwood}}</ref> as a more open alternative to earlier forums such as [[Experts Exchange]]. The name for the website was chosen in a democratic avenue through his popular blog amongst [[programmers]]. The design of the StackOverflow logo was also taken to a vote. On July 31, 2008, Jeff Atwood sent out invitations encouraging his subscribers to take part in the private beta of the new website, limiting its use to those willing to test out the new software. On September 15, 2008 it was announced the public beta version was in session and that the general public was now able to use it to seek assistance on programming related issues.
 
== Content ==
Stack Overflow only accepts questions about programming that are tightly focused on a specific problem. Questions of a broader nature—or those inviting answers that are inherently a matter of opinion—are usually rejected by the site's users, and marked as closed. The sister site softwareengineering.stackexchange.com is intended to be a venue for broader queries, e.g. general questions about [[software development]].<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Not stated-->|title=How do I ask a good question?|url=https://stackoverflow.com/help/how-to-ask|access-date=2021-04-26|archive-date=25 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425190449/https://stackoverflow.com/help/how-to-ask|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
Closing questions is a main differentiation from other Q&A sites like [[Yahoo! Answers]] and a way to prevent low quality questions. The mechanism was overhauled in 2013; questions edited after being put "on hold" now appear in a review queue.<ref>{{cite web|title=The war of the closes|date=25 June 2013|url=https://stackoverflow.blog/2013/06/25/the-war-of-the-closes/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803223431/https://stackoverflow.blog/2013/06/25/the-war-of-the-closes/|archive-date=3 August 2019|access-date=3 August 2019}}</ref> Jeff Atwood stated in 2010 that duplicate questions are not seen as a problem but rather they constitute an advantage if such additional questions drive extra traffic to the site by [[Search engine optimization|multiplying relevant keyword hits in search engines]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Strangedupe: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love Duplication|url=https://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/dr-strangedupe-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-duplication/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812004558/http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/dr-strangedupe-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-duplication/|archive-date=12 August 2016|access-date=19 March 2017|work=stackoverflow.com|date=16 November 2010}}</ref>
 
All [[user-generated content]] is licensed under [[Creative Commons license|Creative Commons Attribute-ShareAlike]] license, version 2.5, 3.0, or 4.0 depending on the date the content was contributed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Case Studies/StackOverflow.com|url=https://wiki.creativecommons.org/Case_Studies/StackOverflow.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502220622/https://wiki.creativecommons.org/Case_Studies/StackOverflow.com|archive-date=2 May 2015|access-date=19 March 2017|work=creativecommons.org}}</ref>
 
== Statistics ==
[[File:Top-StackOverflow-tags.svg|thumb|Top Stack Overflow tags]]
A 2013 study has found that 75% of users only ask one question, 65% only answer one question, and only 8% of users answer more than 5 questions.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wang|first=Shaowei|title=An Empirical Study on Developer Interactions in StackOverflow|url=http://www.mysmu.edu/faculty/lxjiang/papers/sac13stackoverflow.pdf|publisher=Singapore Management University|author2=David Lo|author3=Lingxiao Jiang|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202001818/http://www.mysmu.edu/faculty/lxjiang/papers/sac13stackoverflow.pdf|archive-date=2 February 2015|date=18–22 March 2013|access-date=25 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> To empower a wider group of users to ask questions and then answer, Stack Overflow created a mentorship program resulting in users having a 50% increase in score on average.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ford |first1=Denae |last2=Lustig |first2=Kristina |last3=Banks |first3=Jeremy |last4=Parnin |first4=Chris |title=Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems |chapter="We Don't do That Here" |date=2018 |series=CHI '18 |___location=New York, NY, USA |publisher=ACM |pages=608:1–608:12 |doi=10.1145/3173574.3174182 |isbn=9781450356206 |s2cid=4758001 |doi-access=free}}</ref> As of 2011, 92% of the questions were answered, in a median time of 11 minutes.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mamykina|first=Lena|author2=Bella Manoim|author3=Manas Mittal|author4=George Hripcsak|author5=Björn Hartmann|title=Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems |chapter=Design lessons from the fastest q&a site in the west |date=2011 |pages=2857–2866|doi=10.1145/1978942.1979366|chapter-url=http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~bjoern/projects/stackoverflow/|isbn=9781450302289|s2cid=8706419|access-date=25 February 2014|archive-date=5 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305221429/http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~bjoern/projects/stackoverflow/|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
{{As of|2012|8}}, 443,000 of the 1.3 million registered users had answered at least one question, and of those, approximately 6,000 (0.46% of the total user count) had earned a reputation score greater than 5000.<ref name="Bosu et al.">{{cite web|last=Bosu|first=Amiangshu|title=Building Reputation in StackOverflow: An Empirical Investigation|url=https://amiangshu.com/papers/msr-challenge-preprint-bosu.pdf|publisher=Department of Computer Science, The University of Alabama|author2=Christopher S. Corley|author3=Dustin Heaton|author4=Debarshi Chatterji|author5=Jeffrey C. Carver|author6=Nicholas A. Kraft|___location=Tuscaloosa, USA|year=2013|access-date=11 February 2015|archive-date=11 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211235444/http://amiangshu.com/papers/msr-challenge-preprint-bosu.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Reputation can be gained fastest by answering questions related to tags with lower expertise density, doing so promptly (in particular being the first one to answer a question), being active during off-peak hours, and contributing to diverse areas.<ref name="Bosu et al."/>
 
== Technology ==
Stack Overflow is written in [[ASP.NETC Sharp (programming language)|C#]] using the [[ASP.NET MVC]] ([[Model-View-Controllermodel–view–controller|Model–View–Controller]]) framework., and [[Microsoft SQL Server]] for the database<ref name="soStack">{{cite web | title= What Was Stack Overflow Built With? | url= httphttps://blog.stackoverflow.com/2008/09/what-was-stack-overflow-built-with/ | work= Stack Overflow Blog | author = Jeff Atwood | date= 2008-09-21 | accessdateaccess-date= 2009-05-23 | archive-date= 26 April 2016 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160426184213/http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2008/09/what-was-stack-overflow-built-with/ | url-status= live }}</ref> and the [[Dapper ORM|Dapper]] [[object-relational mapper]] used for data access.<ref>{{cite web | title= How I learned to stop worrying and write my own ORM | url= http://samsaffron.com/archive/2011/03/30/How+I+learned+to+stop+worrying+and+write+my+own+ORM | author= Sam Saffron | date= 2011-03-30 | access-date= 2014-07-22 | archive-date= 2 August 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140802022318/http://samsaffron.com/archive/2011/03/30/How+I+learned+to+stop+worrying+and+write+my+own+ORM | url-status= live }}</ref> Unregistered users have access to most of the site's functionality, while users thatwho choosesign in can gain access to signmore infunctionality, usingsuch theas installedasking [[OpenID]]or serviceanswering cana gainquestion, accessestablishing a profile and being able to theearn remainingreputation to allow functionality, i.elike editing questions and answers without peer review or voting to close a question.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Why should I create an account? – Help Center|url=https://stackoverflow.com/help/why-register|access-date=2021-03-28|website=Stack establishingOverflow|archive-date=28 aMarch profile2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328093509/https://stackoverflow.com/help/why-register|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
==Server FaultReception ==
Stack Overflow won the [[2020 Webby Award|2020 Webby People's Voice Award for Community]] in the category Web.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kastrenakes|first1=Jacob|date=20 May 2020|title=Here are all the winners of the 2020 Webby Awards|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/20/21263445/2020-webby-awards-winners-lil-nas-x-nasa-jon-krasinski|access-date=22 May 2020|website=The Verge|language=en|archive-date=21 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521205535/https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/20/21263445/2020-webby-awards-winners-lil-nas-x-nasa-jon-krasinski|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
The site's culture has been criticized in the past for being unfriendly by one research paper, especially in the context of gender differences in participation and beginners learning computer science.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brooke |first1=Siân |title="Condescending, Rude, Assholes": Framing gender and hostility on Stack Overflow. |url=http://aclanthology.lst.uni-saarland.de/W19-3519.pdf |year=2019 |access-date=21 July 2021 |archive-date=21 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721142719/http://aclanthology.lst.uni-saarland.de/W19-3519.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> A 2023 study by another researcher concluded that the website's new users were met with significant difficulties in obtaining help from other users in posts started by the former; an analysis from a sample of 968 posts showed that 49% experienced hurdles such as their questions being closed, receiving no response, or receiving no mention as to why their posts were being negatively scored.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Kaindl|editor-first1=Hermann|editor-last2=Mannion|editor-first2=Mike|editor-last3= Maciaszek|editor-first3=Leszek A.| date = 7 July 2023| title = Evaluation of Novel Approaches to Software Engineering: 17th International Conference, ENASE 2022, Virtual Event, April 25–26, 2022, Revised Selected Papers| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=V1LKEAAAQBAJ| publisher = Springer Nature Switzerland| pages = 251–256| isbn = 9783031365973}}</ref>
In April of 2009, the owners of Stack Overflow began a private beta for [[Server Fault]], a sister site. The site deals exclusively with questions and answers related to the field of [[system administration]]. The site is in open beta {{as of|2009|6|lc=on}}.
 
A study from the [[University of Maryland]] found that Android developers that used only Stack Overflow as their programming resource tended to write less secure code than those who used only the official Android developer documentation from Google, while developers using only the official Android documentation tended to write significantly less functional code than those who used only Stack Overflow.<ref>Y. Acar, M. Backes, S. Fahl, D. Kim, M. L. Mazurek and C. Stransky, "[https://www.cs.umd.edu/class/fall2017/cmsc818O/papers/get-where-look.pdf You Get Where You're Looking for: The Impact of Information Sources on Code Security] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214111923/https://www.cs.umd.edu/class/fall2017/cmsc818O/papers/get-where-look.pdf |date=14 February 2021 }}," ''2016 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (SP)'', San Jose, CA, 2016, pp. 289–305. doi: 10.1109/SP.2016.25</ref>
 
== Decline ==
Starting from 2023 and as of July 2025, Stack Overflow's questions have rapidly decreased due to AI-enabled solutions like ChatGPT, Deepseek and Claude AI.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stack Overflow’s decline |url=https://www.ericholscher.com/blog/2025/jan/21/stack-overflows-decline/ |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=Eric Holscher |language=en}}</ref>
 
== See also ==
{{portal|Internet}}
* [[Askbot]] (free engine)
* [[List of Internet forums]]
* [[Rosetta Code]] (multi-lingual algorithms)
 
{{clear}}
 
== References ==
{{reflist|2Reflist}}
 
== External links ==
* {{Official website}}
*[http://stackoverflow.com/ Stack Overflow]
 
 
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[[Category:Computing websites]]
[[Category:Community websitesGamification]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2008]]
[[Category:InternetQuestion-and-answer services supporting OpenIDwebsites]]
[[Category:Software developer communities]]
[[Category:Stack Exchange network]]
[[Category:2021 mergers and acquisitions]]
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