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When to Use OOP in JavaScript

Use OOP when it helps you model the problem; skip it when a simpler pattern works. JavaScript is flexible—mix paradigms as needed.

OOP works well when

  • You’re modeling entities with behavior (users, orders, shapes).
  • You need many instances that share behavior.
  • State has a clear owner (the instance).

OOP works poorly when

  • You only need simple data containers.
  • Logic is stateless or fits functional pipelines.
  • You’d create deep inheritance trees to model variation.

Mixing paradigms

  • Combine classes with functions and modules.
  • Keep classes thin: use helper functions for complex logic.
  • Prefer composition over inheritance when behavior varies.