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More in Classes & Class Syntax
How does the constructor method work in a class? How do you create a subclass using extends? What are class fields, and how do they differ from constructor-assigned properties? What does the # syntax mean for class members? What are static methods and properties, and when do you use them? How do getters and setters work inside a class? How does method overriding with super work in JavaScript classes? What is a static initialization block and why would you use one? Why can classes not be called without 'new', unlike regular functions?
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JavaScript › Classes & Class Syntax

What is a class in JavaScript, and is it a new kind of object model?

Beginner

Answer

A class is syntactic sugar over JavaScript's existing prototype-based inheritance. It doesn't add a new object model — under the hood, methods still live on the prototype object, just written with cleaner syntax.
class Animal {
  constructor(name) { this.name = name; }
  speak() { return `${this.name} makes a sound.`; }
}
const a = new Animal('Rex');
console.log(a.speak());
Real-world example Modeling domain entities like User, Order, or Product with clear, readable structure.

Common follow-ups: Is a class hoisted the same way a function declaration is?

Prototypes & Inheritance
All 10 Classes & Class Syntax questions