Empty string, undefined, null, ...

To check for a truthy value:

if (strValue) {
    // strValue was non-empty string, true, 42, Infinity, [], ...
}

To check for a falsy value:

if (!strValue) {
    // strValue was empty string, false, 0, null, undefined, ...
}

Empty string (only!)

To check for exactly an empty string, compare for strict equality against "" using the === operator:

if (strValue === "") {
    // strValue was empty string
}

To check for not an empty string strictly, use the !== operator:

if (strValue !== "") {
    // strValue was not an empty string
}
Answer from Brian Dukes on Stack Overflow
Top answer
1 of 16
5116

Empty string, undefined, null, ...

To check for a truthy value:

if (strValue) {
    // strValue was non-empty string, true, 42, Infinity, [], ...
}

To check for a falsy value:

if (!strValue) {
    // strValue was empty string, false, 0, null, undefined, ...
}

Empty string (only!)

To check for exactly an empty string, compare for strict equality against "" using the === operator:

if (strValue === "") {
    // strValue was empty string
}

To check for not an empty string strictly, use the !== operator:

if (strValue !== "") {
    // strValue was not an empty string
}
2 of 16
1448

For checking if a variable is falsey or if it has length attribute equal to zero (which for a string, means it is empty), I use:

function isEmpty(str) {
    return (!str || str.length === 0 );
}

(Note that strings aren't the only variables with a length attribute, arrays have them as well, for example.)

Alternativaly, you can use the (not so) newly optional chaining and arrow functions to simplify:

const isEmpty = (str) => (!str?.length);

It will check the length, returning undefined in case of a nullish value, without throwing an error. In the case of an empty value, zero is falsy and the result is still valid.

For checking if a variable is falsey or if the string only contains whitespace or is empty, I use:

function isBlank(str) {
    return (!str || /^\s*$/.test(str));
}

If you want, you can monkey-patch the String prototype like this:

String.prototype.isEmpty = function() {
    // This doesn't work the same way as the isEmpty function used 
    // in the first example, it will return true for strings containing only whitespace
    return (this.length === 0 || !this.trim());
};
console.log("example".isEmpty());

Note that monkey-patching built-in types are controversial, as it can break code that depends on the existing structure of built-in types, for whatever reason.

๐ŸŒ
Zipy
zipy.ai โ€บ blog โ€บ how-do-i-check-for-an-empty-undefined-null-string-in-javascript
how do i check for an empty undefined null string in javascript
April 12, 2024 - An empty string in JavaScript is represented by "" (a string with no characters). To check if a string is empty, you can use the strict equality operator (===) or the length property of the string.
๐ŸŒ
freeCodeCamp
freecodecamp.org โ€บ news โ€บ check-if-string-is-empty-or-null-javascript
How to Check if a String is Empty or Null in JavaScript โ€“ JS Tutorial
November 7, 2024 - In this example, we're first using the trim method to remove any leading or trailing whitespace characters from the str variable, then checking whether the resulting string has zero length. If it does, then we know that the string is empty. Otherwise, we know that the string is not empty. Here are some best practices to follow when checking for empty or null strings in JavaScript:
๐ŸŒ
freeCodeCamp
freecodecamp.org โ€บ news โ€บ javascript-check-empty-string-checking-null-or-empty-in-js
JavaScript Check Empty String โ€“ Checking Null or Empty in JS
November 7, 2024 - We can easily fix this error by first removing the white spaces using the trim() method before checking for the length of such string to see if itโ€™s empty as seen below: let myStr = " "; if (myStr.trim().length === 0) { console.log("This is an empty string!"); }else{ console.log("This is NOT an empty string!"); } ... Note: If the value is null, this will throw an error because the length property does not work for null.
๐ŸŒ
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org โ€บ javascript โ€บ how-to-check-empty-undefined-null-string-in-javascript
How to Check empty/undefined/null String in JavaScript? - GeeksforGeeks
July 11, 2025 - // Function to check string is empty or not function checking(str){ // Checking the string using === operator if (str === "") { console.log("Empty String") } else { console.log("Not Empty String") } } // Checking for empty string checking(""); ...
๐ŸŒ
Medium
medium.com โ€บ @python-javascript-php-html-css โ€บ how-to-check-for-empty-undefined-or-null-strings-in-javascript-d8f0bf514ead
How to Use JavaScript to Check for Null, Empty, or Undefined Strings
August 24, 2024 - In the first script, we create a function called isStringEmpty that accepts a single parameter, value. This function returns true if the value is either undefined, null, or an empty string (โ€œโ€).
๐ŸŒ
Sentry
sentry.io โ€บ sentry answers โ€บ javascript โ€บ how do i check for an empty/undefined/null string in javascript?
How do I Check for an Empty/Undefined/Null String in JavaScript? | Sentry
This works because if one of the operands is null or undefined, the other operand must be null or undefined for the equality comparison to return true. If the argument value is not null or undefined, the right side of the logical OR (||) operator is evaluated. To check for an empty string, the logical && operator is used.
๐ŸŒ
W3docs
w3docs.com โ€บ javascript
How to Check for Empty/Undefined/Null String in JavaScript
let undefinedStr; if (!undefinedStr) { console.log("String is undefined"); } let emptyStr = ""; if (!emptyStr) { console.log("String is empty"); } let nullStr = null; if (!nullStr) { console.log("String is null"); } ... When the string is not null or undefined, and you intend to check for an empty one, you can use the length property of the string prototype, as follows: ... Another option is checking the empty string with the comparison operator โ€œ===โ€. ... The JavaScript strings are generally applied for either storing or manipulating text.
Find elsewhere
๐ŸŒ
Shaikhu
shaikhu.com โ€บ how-to-check-if-a-string-is-null-blank-empty-or-undefined-using-javascript
How to check if a string is null, blank, empty or undefined using JavaScript? - shaikhu.com
In above snippet, we are using JavaScript's arrow function to minimize lines of code. Here we have two checks, the first one will check for all null, empty and undefined strings and the second check is for white space characters. The above function will return true if a string is empty or false if not.
๐ŸŒ
Built In
builtin.com โ€บ software-engineering-perspectives โ€บ javascript-null-check
How to Check for Null in JavaScript | Built In
So, when programming to check if a variable has any value at all before trying to process it, you can use == null to check for either null or undefined. Some JavaScript programmers prefer everything to be explicit, and there is nothing wrong ...
๐ŸŒ
ThatSoftwareDude.com
thatsoftwaredude.com โ€บ content โ€บ 8774 โ€บ what-is-the-best-way-to-check-for-an-empty-string-in-javascript
The Best Way to Check for an Empty String in JavaScript - ThatSoftwareDude.com
August 23, 2024 - Discover the most efficient methods to check for an empty string in JavaScript. Learn best practices to ensure your code handles string validation effectively.
๐ŸŒ
CoreUI
coreui.io โ€บ answers โ€บ how-to-check-if-a-string-is-empty-in-javascript
How to check if a string is empty in JavaScript ยท CoreUI
September 24, 2025 - This is the same approach we use ... === 0. For a more comprehensive check including null and undefined, use !text || text.length === 0....
๐ŸŒ
TutorialsPoint
tutorialspoint.com โ€บ how-to-check-empty-undefined-null-strings-in-javascript
How to check empty/undefined/null strings in JavaScript?
Here, we will compare our string with "", null, and undefined. Also, we will use the OR operator to use all three conditions together in the single if condition. If any one of the three conditions becomes true, that means the string is not valid. Users can follow the syntax below to use the strict equality operator to check whether the sting is empty, null, or undefined.
๐ŸŒ
Medium
medium.com โ€บ @python-javascript-php-html-css โ€บ validating-empty-undefined-or-null-strings-in-javascript-fe483c3340ad
JavaScript Validation of Null, Undefined, and Empty Strings
August 24, 2024 - Yes, you can use the condition (!string) to check if a string is falsy, which includes empty strings, null, and undefined. ... In summary, understanding how to effectively check for empty, undefined, or null strings in JavaScript is indispensable for creating reliable and user-friendly applications.
Top answer
1 of 16
5790

You can just check if the variable has a truthy value or not. That means

if (value) {
    // do something..
}

will evaluate to true if value is not:

  • null
  • undefined
  • NaN
  • empty string ("")
  • 0
  • false

The above list represents all possible falsy values in ECMA-/Javascript. Find it in the specification at the ToBoolean section.

Furthermore, if you do not know whether a variable exists (that means, if it was declared) you should check with the typeof operator. For instance

if (typeof foo !== 'undefined') {
    // foo could get resolved and it's defined
}

If you can be sure that a variable is declared at least, you should directly check if it has a truthy value like shown above.

2 of 16
462

This question has two interpretations:

Check if the variable has a value
Check if the variable has a truthy value

The following answers both.

In JavaScript, a value could be nullish or not nullish, and a value could be falsy or truthy.
Nullish values are a proper subset of falsy values:

 โ•ญโ”€ nullish โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ•ฎ โ•ญโ”€ not nullish โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ•ฎ
โ”Œโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ฌโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ฌโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ฌโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ฌโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ฌโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ฌโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ฌโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ฌโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ฌโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”
โ”‚ undefined โ”‚ null โ”‚ false โ”‚ 0 โ”‚ "" โ”‚ ... โ”‚ true โ”‚ 1 โ”‚ "hello" โ”‚ ... โ”‚
โ””โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ดโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ดโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ดโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ดโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ดโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ดโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ดโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ดโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ดโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”˜
 โ•ฐโ”€ falsy โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ•ฏ โ•ฐโ”€ truthy โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ•ฏ

Check if value is nullish (undefined or null)

Use one of the following depending on your coding style:

if (value == null)                         { /* value is nullish */ }
if (value === undefined || value === null) { /* value is nullish */ }
if (value == undefined)                    { /* value is nullish */ }
if ((value ?? null) === null)              { /* value is nullish */ }

Notes:

  • The == operator works because it has a special case for null vs undefined comparison
  • The === operator is more readable (opinion based), eqeqeq friendly and allows checking for undefined and null separately
  • The first and third examples work identically, however the third one is rarely seen in production code
  • The fourth example uses nullish coalescing operator to change nullish values to null for straight forward comparison

Check if value is not nullish

if (value != null)                         { /* value is not nullish, although it could be falsy */ }
if (value !== undefined && value !== null) { /* value is not nullish, although it could be falsy */ }
if (value != undefined)                    { /* value is not nullish, although it could be falsy */ }
if ((value ?? null) !== null)              { /* value is not nullish, although it could be falsy */ }

Check if value is falsy

Use the ! operator:

if (!value) { /* value is falsy */ }

Check if value is truthy

if (value) { /* value is truthy */ }

Data validation

The nullish, falsy and truthy checks cannot be used for data validation on their own. For example, 0 (falsy) is valid age of a person and -1 (truthy) is not. Additional logic needs to be added on case-by-case basis. Some examples:

/*
 * check if value is greater than/equal to 0
 * note that we cannot use truthy check here because 0 must be allowed
 */
[null, -1, 0, 1].forEach(num => {
  if (num != null && num >= 0) {
    console.log("%o is not nullish and greater than/equal to 0", num);
  } else {
    console.log("%o is bad", num);
  }
});

/*
 * check if value is not empty-or-whitespace string
 */
[null, "", " ", "hello"].forEach(str => {
  if (str && /\S/.test(str)) {
    console.log("%o is truthy and has non-whitespace characters", str);
  } else {
    console.log("%o is bad", str);
  }
});

/*
 * check if value is not an empty array
 * check for truthy before checking the length property
 */
[null, [], [1]].forEach(arr => {
  if (arr && arr.length) {
    console.log("%o is truthy and has one or more items", arr);
  } else {
    console.log("%o is bad", arr);
  }
});

/*
 * check if value is not an empty array
 * using optional chaining operator to make sure that the value is not nullish
 */
[null, [], [1]].forEach(arr => {
  if (arr?.length) {
    console.log("%o is not nullish and has one or more items", arr);
  } else {
    console.log("%o is bad", arr);
  }
});

๐ŸŒ
Bobby Hadz
bobbyhadz.com โ€บ blog โ€บ javascript-check-if-string-is-empty
How to check if a String is Empty in JavaScript | bobbyhadz
Use the `length` property on the string to check if it is empty. If the string's length is equal to `0`, then it's empty, otherwise, it isn't empty.
๐ŸŒ
Medium
codehome.medium.com โ€บ how-do-i-check-for-an-empty-undefined-null-string-in-javascript-b4a9507742b4
How do I check for an empty/undefined/null string in JavaScript? | by Programise | Medium
January 16, 2023 - If a variable is undefined, typeof will return "undefined". let variable; if(typeof variable === "undefined") { console.log("Variable is undefined"); } 3. To check for a null value, you can use the comparison operator == or ===. Both null and ...
๐ŸŒ
LogRocket
blog.logrocket.com โ€บ home โ€บ how to check for null, undefined, or empty values in javascript
How to check for null, undefined, or empty values in JavaScript - LogRocket Blog
February 14, 2025 - Learn how to write a null check function in JavaScript and explore the differences between the null and undefined attributes.
๐ŸŒ
Bomberbot
bomberbot.com โ€บ javascript โ€บ how-to-check-if-a-string-is-empty-or-null-in-javascript-js-tutorial
How to Check if a String is Empty or Null in JavaScript โ€“ JS Tutorial - Bomberbot
In this in-depth tutorial, weโ€˜ll explore what empty and null strings are, why itโ€˜s important to check for them, and various methods to do so effectively in JavaScript. Weโ€˜ll also cover best practices, common use cases, and how these checks fit into overall input validation in web development. Before we dive into checking for empty and null strings, letโ€˜s clarify what they are: An empty string is a string with zero characters, represented by โ€˜โ€˜ or "".