Objects in JS: The Beginner’s Guide

JavaScript objects are essentially associative arrays with some extra features​. They store properties (key-value pairs) where each key is a name (usually a string or symbol) that maps to a value (which can be any data type)​. In other words, each property is like a named slot holding a value. Because objects map names to values, they’re often described as associative array.

Key-Value Pairs (Properties)

Each property in an object has a key and a value. Keys must be strings (or symbols) and values can be anything (number, string, another object, etc.). For example, a mobile data plan could be represented as:

const plan = {
  name: "Basic 1GB",
  price: 10,
  validity: 30
};

Here plan has three properties: "name" (value "Basic 1GB"), "price" (value 10), and "validity" (value 30). The keys (name, price, validity) are strings, and the values are a mix of string and number. You can have as many properties as needed, and values can even be objects or functions. This object literal { ... } notation creates a new plain object with the given key-value pairs​.

Accessing Properties

You can access an object’s properties in two main ways:

1. Dot notation:
obj.key – this is simple and readable.

console.log(plan.name);    // "Basic 1GB"

2. Bracket notation:
obj["key"] – this looks like array syntax and uses a string in quotes.

console.log(plan["price"]); // 10

Both lines above read the same values. Bracket notation is useful when the key name is dynamic or not a valid identifier.
For example:

let field = "validity";
console.log(plan[field]); // 30

Here field is a variable holding the key name. Bracket notation (plan[field]) allows using variables or strings computed at runtime​. (You must use quotes inside brackets when writing the key literally, like plan["name"].)

Additional Operations

JavaScript provides some extra operators for objects:
Delete a property: delete obj.key – removes that key from the object.
Check if key exists: "key" in obj – returns true if the object has that property (even if its value is undefined).
Iterate keys: for (let key in obj) { … } – loops over all enumerable keys in the object.

const course = { 
    courseName: "JS 101", 
    duration: "4 weeks", 
    instructor: "Alice" 
};
delete course.instructor;             // removes the instructor property
console.log("instructor" in course);  // false
for (let key in course) {
  console.log(key, course[key]);      // logs remaining keys and values
}

The delete operator removes a property​. The in operator tests for a key’s presence​. And the for...in loop iterates over each key in turn​. These tools let you manage and inspect object properties at runtime.

Plain vs Specialized Objects

What we’ve described so far are plain objects (created with {}). JavaScript has many other built-in objects that extend this concept​. For example, an Array is a special object used for ordered lists (with numeric indices), Date is an object for handling dates and times, and Error is an object for error information​. Arrays and Dates are not separate “types” in the language; they are just objects with extra functionality. In code, you create them with their respective syntax (e.g. [] for arrays or new Date() for a date), but they still use key-value storage under the hood.
Examples
Here are some real-world examples of objects in different contexts:

1. General

const plan = {
  name: "Basic 1GB",
  price: 10,
  validity: 30
};

This plan object stores details of a data package. We can access plan.name, plan.price, and plan.validity to get each detail.

2. Multiword Property Name

const ticket = {
  event: "Pet Show",
  seat: "A12",
  price: 50,
  "booking time": "7:00 PM" // multiword property name must be quoted
};

// Accessing multiword property
console.log(ticket["booking time"]); // "7:00 PM"

A ticket object might hold the event name, seat number, and price. We can use ticket.seat or ticket["price"] to access these values. But, Multiword property names must be in quotes when defining them.
You can’t use dot notation to access them (ticket.booking time would cause a syntax error).

Instead, use bracket notation: ticket["booking time"]

3. Property Name with Special Characters

const payment = {
  id: "TX123",
  amount: 100,
  "payment-status": "Pending"
};

console.log(payment["payment-status"]); // ✅ "Pending"
// console.log(payment.payment-status); // ❌ Unexpected token '-'

Any special character (like -, space, etc.) requires quotes and bracket notation.

4. Property Name Starts with a Number

const course = {
  "101": "Intro to JavaScript",
  duration: "4 weeks"
};
console.log(course["101"]); // ✅ "Intro to JavaScript"
// console.log(course.101); // ❌ SyntaxError

Property names that start with digits must also be accessed using bracket notation.

5. Access with a Variable Key

const student = {
  name: "Ayesha",
  grade: "A+"
};

let key = "grade";
console.log(student[key]); // ✅ "A+"

Use bracket notation when the property name is stored in a variable.

6. Using Symbols as Property Keys

const uniqueKey = Symbol("id");
const user = {
  name: "Rahim",

};
console.log(user[uniqueKey]); // ✅ 12345

Symbol keys must be accessed with bracket notation; dot notation won’t work.

7. Built-in Objects Types

let arr = [1, 2, 3];         // Array – ordered collection
let now = new Date();        // Date – current date and time
let err = new Error("Oops"); // Error – represents runtime errors

These are all extended forms of "object"

Summary

Notes

• Prefer dot notation for simplicity, use bracket notation when necessary.
• Don’t forget: typeof [] === "object" – arrays, dates, and errors are all objects under the hood.

These are the basics of JavaScript objects – storing and accessing named data. As you work more with JS, you’ll see objects everywhere (configuration, JSON data, class instances, etc.). They’re one of the most powerful and common data structures in JavaScript

✅ Ready to Practice?

If you're just starting out with JavaScript, understanding objects is a huge milestone!

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