Javascript '=' Vs. '==' Vs. '==='

The operators =, ==, and === are all used in JavaScript, but they serve different purposes:

Assignment Operator =

The = operator is used for variable assignment. It assigns the value on the right-hand side to the variable on the left-hand side. It doesn't compare values; rather, it assigns a value to a variable.

let x = 5; // Assigns the value 5 to the variable x

Equality Operator ==

The == operator is used for loose equality comparison. It compares the values on both sides of the operator after performing type coercion (automatic type conversion). If the values are of different types, JavaScript attempts to convert them to a common type and then compares the values.

5 == "5"; // Returns true, as the string "5" is converted to the number 5

Strict Equality Operator ===

The === operator is used for strict equality comparison. It compares both the values and the data types of the operands. It returns true only if both the values and types are the same.

5 === "5"; // Returns false, as the values are equal, but the types are different

'=' Vs. '==' Vs. '===' | Javascript

  1. Using = for comparison would result in a syntax error because = is used for assignment.
  2. The == operator performs type coercion, which can lead to unexpected results in some cases.
  3. The === operator is generally recommended for comparing values in JavaScript, as it avoids type coercion and ensures strict equality.
  4. When working with conditional statements, such as if or switch, the use of === helps prevent subtle bugs and produces more reliable code.

Conclusion

The = is used for assignment, == is used for loose equality comparison with type coercion, and === is used for strict equality comparison without type coercion in JavaScript.