Prototype Property

This lesson explains the prototype property of objects and what __proto__ is used for by using an example.

__proto__ Property

In JavaScript, objects contain a property [[Prototype]] that is hidden. This property either points to another object or is null.

The [[Prototype]] property of objects, i.e., anObject.[[Prototype]] defines the prototype of anObject. It is defined through the __proto__ property which is used as a setter/getter for the [[Prototype]] property; i.e., __proto__ is used in order to access/set the [[Prototype]] property of an object.

Syntax

Let’s take a look at the syntax for accessing and setting the [[Prototype]] property of an object.

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