What is the difference between Object.assign and merge in JavaScript?

What is the difference between Object.assign and merge in JavaScript?

Object.assign is a built-in method that copies values from source objects to a target object, while merge is often a utility function from libraries like Lodash that combines objects deeply.

Can you give me an example of how to use Object.assign?

Sure! Here's a simple example:

const target = { a: 1 }; 
const source = { b: 2, c: 3 }; 
const result = Object.assign(target, source); 
console.log(result); // { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 }

What about using merge? How does it work?

Using Lodash's merge function looks like this:

const _ = require('lodash'); 
const object = { a: [{ b: 2 }, { d: 4 }] }; 
const other = { a: [{ c: 3 }, { e: 5 }] }; 
const result = _.merge(object, other); 
console.log(result); // { a: [{ b: 2, c: 3 }, { d: 4, e: 5 }] }

Are there any performance differences between the two?

Yes, Object.assign is generally faster for shallow copies, while merge can be slower due to its deep merging capabilities.