JavaScript OOP: Classes are just syntactic sugar

JavaScript isn't an OOP language. Many beginners think of JavaScript classes as “classical OOP”, similar to Java or C++. But here’s the fascinating part: ✅ JavaScript doesn’t have classical inheritance. ✅ Classes in JS are syntactic sugar over its prototype system. Here’s what actually happens: class User { greet() { console.log('Hello!'); } } const u = new User(); u.greet(); When you create `u`, JS doesn’t copy `greet` into `u`. Instead: - `u` has a hidden reference `__proto__` pointing to `User.prototype`. - The method `greet` lives on the prototype. - JS looks up the prototype chain when a method is called. You can even add new methods dynamically: User.prototype.sayBye = () => console.log('Bye!'); u.sayBye(); 💡 Takeaway: Understanding prototypes is the key to truly mastering JS OOP. Classes are just a convenient way to write what prototypes already do. #JavaScript #WebDevelopment #OOP #Prototypes #LearningInPublic

To view or add a comment, sign in

Explore content categories