Difference between prototypal inheritance and class inheritance in JavaScript

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Prototype Inheritance and Class Inheritance are two different inheritance mechanisms, used in different versions and paradigms of JavaScript. Here are the main differences between them:

⭐ Prototype Inheritance

1. Based on the prototype chain: Prototypal inheritance is the earliest inheritance method in JavaScript, and it is based on the prototype chain. Every object has a link to its prototype, and when looking for a property or method, if it's not found on the object itself, it's looked up the prototype chain.

2. Constructor and prototype: In prototypal inheritance, a constructor is usually used to create an object, and inheritance is achieved by adding properties and methods to the prototype object of the constructor.

3. Disadvantages of inheritance: Prototypal inheritance may lead to property sharing issues in some cases, where multiple instances share the same prototype properties. This can lead to undesirable behavior.

Sample code:

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

Animal.prototype.makeSound = function() {
    
    
  console.log('Animal makes a sound');
};

function Dog(name) {
    
    
  Animal.call(this, name);
}

Dog.prototype = Object.create(Animal.prototype);
Dog.prototype.constructor = Dog;

const myDog = new Dog('Buddy');
myDog.makeSound(); // 输出：Animal makes a sound

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⭐ Class Inheritance

1. Based on classes: Class inheritance is an inheritance method introduced in ECMAScript 6 (ES6). It uses classkeywords to define classes and extendsimplements inheritance through keywords.

2. Constructors and inheritance methods: Class inheritance is more clear. It uses constructors and superkeywords to call the constructors and methods of the parent class, making the inheritance relationship clearer.

3. Stricter encapsulation: Class inheritance introduces stricter encapsulation, which better defines the visibility and access permissions of properties and methods through constructorconstructors, keywords public, etc.private

Sample code:

class Animal {
    
    
  constructor(name) {
    
    
    this.name = name;
  }

  makeSound() {
    
    
    console.log('Animal makes a sound');
  }
}

class Dog extends Animal {
    
    
  constructor(name) {
    
    
    super(name);
  }

  makeSound() {
    
    
    console.log('Dog barks');
  }
}

const myDog = new Dog('Buddy');
myDog.makeSound(); // 输出：Dog barks

In summary, prototypal inheritance is the early inheritance method in JavaScript, using the prototype chain, while class inheritance is the more modern and clearer inheritance method introduced in ES6, using the and classkeywords extends. Class inheritance provides tighter encapsulation and cleaner syntax, and is therefore more common and recommended in modern JavaScript development.

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