JavaScriptEasy
What are the different ways to copy an object or an array?
By FrontendPro Editorial Team Updated 8/8/2026
#JavaScript
Answer
To copy an object or an array in JavaScript, you can use several methods. For shallow copies, you can use the spread operator (...) or Object.assign(). For deep copies, you can use JSON.parse(JSON.stringify()) or libraries like Lodash's _.cloneDeep().
js
// Shallow copy of an array
const originalArray = [1, 2, 3];
const shallowCopyArray = [...originalArray];
console.log(shallowCopyArray); // [1, 2, 3]
// Shallow copy of an object
const originalObject = { a: 1, b: 2 };
const shallowCopyObject = { ...originalObject };
console.log(shallowCopyObject); // { a: 1, b: 2 };
// Deep copy using JSON methods
const deepCopyObject = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(originalObject));
console.log(deepCopyObject); // { a: 1, b: 2 };