What is shallow copying in JavaScript?

What is shallow copying in JavaScript?

Shallow copying in JavaScript means creating a new object that copies properties from an existing object, but only at the first level. If the original object has nested objects, the references to those nested objects are copied, not the actual nested objects.

Can you show me an example of shallow copying?

Sure! You can use Object.assign() or the spread operator (...) for shallow copying. For example:

const original = { a: 1, b: { c: 2 } };
const shallowCopy = { ...original };

In this case, shallowCopy.b will still reference the same object as original.b.

What happens if I modify the nested object in the shallow copy?

If you modify the nested object in the shallow copy, it will also affect the original object because both references point to the same nested object. For example:

shallowCopy.b.c = 3;
console.log(original.b.c); // This will log 3, affecting the original.