Nested Conditionals vs. Switch Statements: Which to Use?

What are the main differences between nested conditionals and switch statements?

Nested conditionals use if-else statements to evaluate conditions, while switch statements evaluate a single expression against multiple cases.

When should I use a switch statement instead of nested conditionals?

Use a switch statement when you have multiple discrete values to compare against a single variable, as it can be cleaner and more readable.

Can you give me an example of both?

Sure! For nested conditionals:

if (fruit === 'apple') {
    console.log('Apple');
} else if (fruit === 'banana') {
    console.log('Banana');
} else {
    console.log('Other fruit');
}

And for a switch statement:

switch (fruit) {
    case 'apple':
        console.log('Apple');
        break;
    case 'banana':
        console.log('Banana');
        break;
    default:
        console.log('Other fruit');
}

Are there any performance differences between the two?

In most cases, the performance difference is negligible, but switch statements can be more efficient with many cases due to their optimized handling in some languages.