Let’s face it—JavaScript is HUGE. Even if you’ve been writing it for years, there are features hiding in plain sight that could save you time, reduce bugs, or even make your code cleaner and more fun to write.

But here’s the thing: most developers aren’t using them.

Why?

Because no one talks about them enough.

So let’s change that.

Here are 7 underrated JavaScript features that deserve a permanent place in your coding toolbox👇

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1. Optional Chaining (?.)

Tired of checking if a deeply nested property exists before accessing it?

// Without optional chaining
if (user && user.profile && user.profile.image) {
  console.log(user.profile.image);
}

// With optional chaining
console.log(user?.profile?.image);

✅ Clean

✅ Safer

✅ Less nesting

👉 MDN Optional Chaining Docs

2. Nullish Coalescing Operator (??)

Stop using || when you actually want to check for null or undefined.

const userName = inputName ?? "Guest";

This avoids unexpected results like '', 0, or false getting replaced.

3. Object Destructuring with Default Values

You’re probably destructuring, but are you combining it with defaults?

const { name = "Anonymous", age = 25 } = user;

No more:

const name = user.name ? user.name : "Anonymous";

This keeps things tight and readable.

4. Named Capturing Groups in Regex

Regex doesn’t have to look like ancient alien code anymore.

const dateRegex = /(?<year>\d{4})-(?<month>\d{2})-(?<day>\d{2})/;
const result = dateRegex.exec("2025-04-07");

console.log(result.groups.year); // '2025'

💡 Easier to understand

💡 Easier to maintain

👉 Regex named groups explained

5. Array .at() Method

Access array elements from the end without length - 1 gymnastics.

const arr = [10, 20, 30, 40];
console.log(arr.at(-1)); // 40

Perfect for when you're working with the latest item in a list!

👉 MDN .at() Method

6. Top-Level await (in ES modules)

No need to wrap everything in async IIFEs anymore.

const response = await fetch("https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts");
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

🎉 Cleaner async code

🎉 Works out-of-the-box in modern environments like Vite or Node.js (ESM only)

7. Intl API (for Formatting Dates, Numbers, Currency)

No more moment.js or complex logic to format values:

const price = new Intl.NumberFormat('en-IN', {
  style: 'currency',
  currency: 'INR'
}).format(4999.99);

console.log(price); // ₹4,999.99

Also great for:

  • Localized time & dates
  • Plural rules
  • Displaying numbers properly across locales

👉 Explore Intl.NumberFormat on MDN

Quick Tip: Want To Practice These?

Check out this awesome JavaScript Feature Playground on CodeSandbox (includes live examples of each feature above).

Got a favorite underused JS feature that should’ve made the list?

Or did one of these just blow your mind a little?

Drop it in the comments 👇 Let’s make this a thread of hidden JavaScript gold for everyone 💬

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