Private Properties in Javascript Es6 Classes

Question

Is it possible to create private properties in ES6 classes?

Here's an example. How can I prevent access to instance.property?

class Something {
  constructor(){
    this.property = "test";
  }
}

var instance = new Something();
console.log(instance.property); //=> "test"

Accepted Answer

Short answer, no, there is no native support for private properties with ES6 classes.

But you could mimic that behaviour by not attaching the new properties to the object, but keeping them inside a class constructor, and use getters and setters to reach the hidden properties. Note that the getters and setters gets redefine on each new instance of the class.

ES6

class Person {
    constructor(name) {
        var _name = name
        this.setName = function(name) { _name = name; }
        this.getName = function() { return _name; }
    }
}

ES5

function Person(name) {
    var _name = name
    this.setName = function(name) { _name = name; }
    this.getName = function() { return _name; }
}

Accepted Answer

Private class features is in Stage 3 proposal. The majority of its features are supported by all major browsers.

class Something {
  #property;

  constructor(){
    this.#property = "test";
  }

  #privateMethod() {
    return 'hello world';
  }

  getPrivateMessage() {
      return this.#property;
  }
}

const instance = new Something();
console.log(instance.property); //=> undefined
console.log(instance.privateMethod); //=> undefined
console.log(instance.getPrivateMessage()); //=> test
console.log(instance.#property); //=> Syntax error

Answer 3

Yes, prefix the name with # and include it in the class definition, not just the constructor.

Real private properties were finally added in ES2022. As of 2022-03-22, private properties (fields and methods) have been supported in all major browsers for at least six months, but 10-20% of users are still on older browsers [Can I Use].

Example:

class Person {
  #age

  constructor(name) {
    this.name = name; // this is public
    this.#age = 20; // this is private
  }

  greet() {
    // here we can access both name and age
    console.log(`name: ${this.name}, age: ${this.#age}`);
  }
}

let joe = new Person('Joe');
joe.greet();

// here we can access name but not age

Following are methods for keeping properties private in pre-ES2022 environments, with various tradeoffs.

Must Read

Scoped variables

The approach here is to use the scope of the constructor function, which is private, to store private data. For methods to have access to this private data they must be created within the constructor as well, meaning you're recreating them with every instance. This is a performance and memory penalty, but it may be acceptable. The penalty can be avoided for methods that do not need access to private data by declaring them in the normal way.

Example:

class Person {
  constructor(name) {
    let age = 20; // this is private
    this.name = name; // this is public

    this.greet = () => {
      // here we can access both name and age
      console.log(`name: ${this.name}, age: ${age}`);
    };
  }

  anotherMethod() {
    // here we can access name but not age
  }
}

let joe = new Person('Joe');
joe.greet();

// here we can access name but not age

Private Properties in Javascript Es6 Classes

41 Answers

Must Read

Scoped variables

James H. Sterling