What is the difference between let, const, and var in JavaScript?Davide S
In JavaScript,let
,const
, andvar
are used to declare variables, but they have different scoping rules and behaviors. Here's a detailed explanation of the differences betweenlet
,const
, andvar
:
1. var:
-var
is the oldest way to declare variables in JavaScript.
- Variables declared withvar
are function-scoped or globally scoped, meaning they are accessible within the function or the global scope.
-var
variables are hoisted to the top of their scope, which means you can access and assign a value to them before they are declared.
-var
variables can be reassigned and updated within their scope.
- If avar
variable is declared multiple times within the same scope, it will not raise an error, and the last declaration will override the previous ones.
- Here's an example:
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function example() { var x = 10; if (true) { var x = 20; // Same variable as the one above, not block-scoped console.log(x); // Output: 20 } console.log(x); // Output: 20 }
2. let:
-let
was introduced in ECMAScript 6 (ES6) as a replacement forvar
in many cases.
- Variables declared withlet
are block-scoped, meaning they are limited to the block (between curly braces) where they are defined.
-let
variables are not hoisted to the top of their scope. They are only accessible after they are declared.
-let
variables can be reassigned but not redeclared within the same scope.
- Here's an example:
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function example() { let x = 10; if (true) { let x = 20; // Different variable than the one above, block-scoped console.log(x); // Output: 20 } console.log(x); // Output: 10 }
3. const:
-const
is also introduced in ES6 and stands for "constant."
- Variables declared withconst
are block-scoped and cannot be reassigned once they are assigned a value.
-const
variables must be assigned a value at the time of declaration. They cannot be left uninitialized.
-const
does not make the variable's value immutable. It only prevents reassignment of the variable itself.
- When declaring an object or an array withconst
, you can still modify the object's properties or the array's elements.
- Here's an example:
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function example() { const x = 10; if (true) { const x = 20; // Different variable than the one above, block-scoped console.log(x); // Output: 20 } console.log(x); // Output: 10 }
- When usingconst
with objects or arrays:
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const person = { name: 'John', age: 30 }; person.name = 'Jane'; // Valid, modifying the object's property person.age = 31; // Valid, modifying the object's property const array = [1, 2, 3]; array.push(4); // Valid, modifying the array // However, you cannot reassign the entire object or array: person = { name: 'Jim', age: 25 }; // Error array = [4, 5, 6]; // Error
In summary,let
andconst
are block-scoped variables introduced in ES6, whilevar
is function-scoped.let
allows reassignment within its scope and does not hoist variables to the top, whereasconst
does not allow reassignment and requires initialization. It's generally recommended to useconst
when the value of a variable should not change and uselet
when you need to reassign a variable.var
should be used sparingly, as it has some quirks and can lead to unpredictable behavior.
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