Overflow
Noun · Development
Definitions
A condition in which a computation produces a value that exceeds the storage capacity of its data type. Integer overflow wraps a value past its maximum (e.g., a uint8 going from 255 to 0), while buffer overflow writes data past the end of an allocated memory region — the latter being a major class of security vulnerability.
In plain English: When a number or data gets too big for the space allocated to hold it, causing it to wrap around or spill into adjacent memory.
Example: "The packet counter was a uint16 and overflowed back to zero after 65,535, which is why the dashboard showed negative packet loss."