What are the best practices for copying objects in programming?

What are the best practices for copying objects in programming?

When copying objects, it's important to consider shallow vs deep copies. A shallow copy duplicates the object's top-level properties, while a deep copy duplicates all nested objects as well.

Can you explain when to use shallow copies?

Shallow copies are useful when you only need to duplicate the top-level properties and are okay with shared references for nested objects. This can save memory and improve performance.

What about deep copies? When should I use them?

Deep copies are necessary when you need complete independence from the original object, especially if the object contains nested objects that you want to modify without affecting the original.

Are there any libraries that can help with deep copying?

Yes, libraries like Lodash provide functions like _.cloneDeep() that make deep copying objects straightforward and efficient.