What are JavaScript prototypes and how do they work?

What are JavaScript prototypes and how do they work?

JavaScript prototypes are a fundamental part of the language's object-oriented programming. Every JavaScript object has a prototype, which is another object from which it can inherit properties and methods.

Can you explain how to create a prototype in JavaScript?

Sure! You can create a prototype by defining a constructor function and then adding properties or methods to its prototype object. For example:

function Person(name) {
    this.name = name;
}

Person.prototype.greet = function() {
    console.log('Hello, ' + this.name);
};

What is the difference between a prototype and a class?

In JavaScript, prototypes are the original way to create objects and inheritance, while classes, introduced in ES6, provide a syntactical sugar over prototypes, making it easier to create objects and handle inheritance.

How does the prototype chain work?

The prototype chain is a mechanism by which JavaScript objects inherit properties and methods from one another. When you try to access a property on an object, JavaScript first checks if the property exists on that object. If not, it looks up the prototype chain until it finds the property or reaches the end of the chain.