Sets are now available in ES2015 (aka ES6, i.e. ECMAScript 6). ES6 has been the current standard for JavaScript since June 2015.

ECMAScript 6 has the data structure Set which works for arbitrary values, is fast and handles NaN correctly. -Axel Rauschmayer, Exploring ES6

First two examples from Axel Rauschmayer's book Exploring ES6:

Managing single elements:

> let set = new Set();
> set.add('red')

> set.has('red')
true
> set.delete('red')
true
> set.has('red')
false

Determining the size of a Set and clearing it:

> let set = new Set();
> set.add('red')
> set.add('green')

> set.size
2
> set.clear();
> set.size
0

I would check out Exploring ES6 if you want to learn more about Sets in JavaScript. The book is free to read online, but if you would like to support the author Dr. Axel Rauschmayer you can purchase the book for around $30.

If you want to use Sets and ES6 now you can use Babel, the ES6 to ES5 transpiler, and its polyfills.

Edit: As of June 6th, 2017 most of the major browsers have full Set support in their latest versions (except IE 11). This means you may not need babel if you don't care to support older browsers. If you want to see compatibility in different browsers including your current browser check Kangax's ES6 compatibility table.

EDIT:

Just clarification on initialization. Sets can take any synchronous iterable in their constructor. This means they can take not just arrays but also strings, and iterators. Take for example the following array and string initialization of a set:

const set1 = new Set(['a','a','b','b','c','c']);
console.log(...set1);
console.log(set1.size);
const set2 = new Set("aabbcc");
console.log(...set2);
console.log(set2.size);

Both outputs of the array and string are the same. Note that ...set1 is the spread syntax. It appears that each element of the iterable is added one by one to the set, so since both the array and string have the same elements and since the elements are in the same order the set is created the same. Another thing to note about sets is when iterating over them the iteration order follows the order that the elements were inserted into the set. Here's an example of iterating over a set:

const set1 = new Set(['a','a','b','b','c','c']);
for(const element of set1) {
  console.log(element);
}

Since you can use any iterable to initialize a set you could even use a iterator from a generator function. Here is two such examples of iterator initializations that produce the same output:

// a simple generator example
function* getLetters1 () {
  yield 'a';
  yield 'a';
  yield 'b';
  yield 'b';
  yield 'c';
  yield 'c';
}

// a somewhat more commonplace generator example
// with the same output as getLetters1.
function* getLetters2 (letters, repeatTimes) {
  for(const letter of letters) {
    for(let i = 0; i < repeatTimes; ++i) { 
      yield letter;
    }
  }
}

console.log("------ getLetters1 ------");
console.log(...getLetters1());
const set3 = new Set(getLetters1());
console.log(...set3);
console.log(set3.size);

console.log("------ getLetters2 ------");
console.log(...getLetters2('abc', 2));
const set4 = new Set(getLetters2('abc', 2));
console.log(...set4);
console.log(set4.size);

These examples' generator functions could just be written to not repeat, but if the generator function is more complicated and as long as the following doesn't impact performance too negatively you could use the Set method to help get only values from a generator that don't repeat.

If you want to know more about sets without reading Dr. Rauschmayer's chapter of his book you can check out the MDN docs on Set. MDN also has more examples of iterating over a set such as using forEach and using the .keys, .values, and .entries methods. MDN also has examples such as set union, set intersection, set difference, symmetric set difference, and set superset checking. Hopefully most of those operations will become available in JavaScript without needing to build your own functions supporting them. In fact, there is this TC39 proposal for new Set methods which should hopefully add the following methods to Set in JavaScript at some future point in time if the proposal reaches stage 4:

  • Set.prototype.intersection(iterable) - method creates new Set instance by set intersection operation.
  • Set.prototype.union(iterable) - method creates new Set instance by set union operation.
  • Set.prototype.difference(iterable) - method creates new Set without elements present in iterable.
  • Set.prototype.symmetricDifference(iterable) - returns Set of elements found only in either this or in iterable.
  • Set.prototype.isSubsetOf(iterable)
  • Set.prototype.isDisjointFrom(iterable)
  • Set.prototype.isSupersetOf(iterable)
Answer from John on Stack Overflow
🌐
W3Schools
w3schools.com › js › js_sets.asp
JavaScript Sets
A JavaScript Set is a collection of unique values.
🌐
MDN Web Docs
developer.mozilla.org › en-US › docs › Web › JavaScript › Reference › Global_Objects › Set
Set - JavaScript - MDN Web Docs
August 13, 2026 - The Set object lets you store unique values of any type, whether primitive values or object references.
🌐
web.dev
web.dev › blog › the javascript set methods are now part of baseline
The JavaScript Set methods are now part of Baseline | Blog | web.dev
June 26, 2024 - You can now use the JavaScript Set methods to perform set operations like intersection, union and more.
🌐
Mozilla
developer.mozilla.org › en-US › blog › javascript-set-methods
New JavaScript Set methods - MDN Web Docs - Mozilla
June 24, 2024 - union() returns a new set with all elements in this set and the given set.
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/javascript › new javascript set methods
r/javascript on Reddit: New JavaScript Set methods
July 10, 2024 - Intersect, union, and difference are like, the defining methods for sets. In any other language a set type without these would be considered incomplete, like an array/list without a method for checking the length or a way to iterate over the elements. ... Benchmark driven development in JavaScript (Set vs.
Top answer
1 of 9
126

Sets are now available in ES2015 (aka ES6, i.e. ECMAScript 6). ES6 has been the current standard for JavaScript since June 2015.

ECMAScript 6 has the data structure Set which works for arbitrary values, is fast and handles NaN correctly. -Axel Rauschmayer, Exploring ES6

First two examples from Axel Rauschmayer's book Exploring ES6:

Managing single elements:

> let set = new Set();
> set.add('red')

> set.has('red')
true
> set.delete('red')
true
> set.has('red')
false

Determining the size of a Set and clearing it:

> let set = new Set();
> set.add('red')
> set.add('green')

> set.size
2
> set.clear();
> set.size
0

I would check out Exploring ES6 if you want to learn more about Sets in JavaScript. The book is free to read online, but if you would like to support the author Dr. Axel Rauschmayer you can purchase the book for around $30.

If you want to use Sets and ES6 now you can use Babel, the ES6 to ES5 transpiler, and its polyfills.

Edit: As of June 6th, 2017 most of the major browsers have full Set support in their latest versions (except IE 11). This means you may not need babel if you don't care to support older browsers. If you want to see compatibility in different browsers including your current browser check Kangax's ES6 compatibility table.

EDIT:

Just clarification on initialization. Sets can take any synchronous iterable in their constructor. This means they can take not just arrays but also strings, and iterators. Take for example the following array and string initialization of a set:

const set1 = new Set(['a','a','b','b','c','c']);
console.log(...set1);
console.log(set1.size);
const set2 = new Set("aabbcc");
console.log(...set2);
console.log(set2.size);

Both outputs of the array and string are the same. Note that ...set1 is the spread syntax. It appears that each element of the iterable is added one by one to the set, so since both the array and string have the same elements and since the elements are in the same order the set is created the same. Another thing to note about sets is when iterating over them the iteration order follows the order that the elements were inserted into the set. Here's an example of iterating over a set:

const set1 = new Set(['a','a','b','b','c','c']);
for(const element of set1) {
  console.log(element);
}

Since you can use any iterable to initialize a set you could even use a iterator from a generator function. Here is two such examples of iterator initializations that produce the same output:

// a simple generator example
function* getLetters1 () {
  yield 'a';
  yield 'a';
  yield 'b';
  yield 'b';
  yield 'c';
  yield 'c';
}

// a somewhat more commonplace generator example
// with the same output as getLetters1.
function* getLetters2 (letters, repeatTimes) {
  for(const letter of letters) {
    for(let i = 0; i < repeatTimes; ++i) { 
      yield letter;
    }
  }
}

console.log("------ getLetters1 ------");
console.log(...getLetters1());
const set3 = new Set(getLetters1());
console.log(...set3);
console.log(set3.size);

console.log("------ getLetters2 ------");
console.log(...getLetters2('abc', 2));
const set4 = new Set(getLetters2('abc', 2));
console.log(...set4);
console.log(set4.size);

These examples' generator functions could just be written to not repeat, but if the generator function is more complicated and as long as the following doesn't impact performance too negatively you could use the Set method to help get only values from a generator that don't repeat.

If you want to know more about sets without reading Dr. Rauschmayer's chapter of his book you can check out the MDN docs on Set. MDN also has more examples of iterating over a set such as using forEach and using the .keys, .values, and .entries methods. MDN also has examples such as set union, set intersection, set difference, symmetric set difference, and set superset checking. Hopefully most of those operations will become available in JavaScript without needing to build your own functions supporting them. In fact, there is this TC39 proposal for new Set methods which should hopefully add the following methods to Set in JavaScript at some future point in time if the proposal reaches stage 4:

  • Set.prototype.intersection(iterable) - method creates new Set instance by set intersection operation.
  • Set.prototype.union(iterable) - method creates new Set instance by set union operation.
  • Set.prototype.difference(iterable) - method creates new Set without elements present in iterable.
  • Set.prototype.symmetricDifference(iterable) - returns Set of elements found only in either this or in iterable.
  • Set.prototype.isSubsetOf(iterable)
  • Set.prototype.isDisjointFrom(iterable)
  • Set.prototype.isSupersetOf(iterable)
2 of 9
32

I use dict objects as sets. This works with strings and numbers, but I suppose would cause problems if you wanted to have a set of objects using custom equality and comparison operators:

Creating a set:

var example_set = 
{
    'a':true,
    'b':true,
    'c':true
}

Testing for inclusion in a set

if( example_set['a'] ){
    alert('"a" is in set');
}

Adding an element to a set

example_set['d'] = true;

Removing an element from a set

delete example_set['a'];

🌐
Telerik
telerik.com › blogs › understanding-utilizing-javascript-set-object
Understanding and Utilizing the JavaScript Set Object
February 2, 2024 - A Set object in JavaScript is a collection of unique values, where each value can only occur once within the set. It provides an efficient way to store, retrieve and manipulate distinct values without worrying about duplicates.
Find elsewhere
🌐
W3Schools
w3schools.com › jsref › jsref_obj_set.asp
JavaScript Set Reference
Visit Our Full JavaScript Sets Tutorial JavaScript Map Reference.
🌐
Medium
noncodersuccess.medium.com › exploring-javascript-sets-practical-use-cases-and-methods-demystified-deep-dive-into-set-c16a5c5c883f
Exploring JavaScript Sets | Practical Use Cases and Methods Demystified | Deep Dive into Set Methods | JavaScript Set Mastery | by NonCoderSuccess | Medium
April 29, 2024 - We’ve covered a lot of ground, from understanding what Sets are to mastering their various methods for manipulating data. As you’ve seen, JavaScript Sets offer a versatile and efficient way to work with collections of unique values.
🌐
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › javascript › sets-in-javascript
Set in JavaScript - GeeksforGeeks
A Set in JavaScript is used to store a unique collection of items, meaning no duplicates are allowed.
Published: September 25, 2025
🌐
W3Schools
w3schools.com › js › js_set_methods.asp
JavaScript Set Methods
Well organized and easy to understand Web building tutorials with lots of examples of how to use HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, Python, PHP, Bootstrap, Java, XML and more.
🌐
Fjolt
fjolt.com › article › javascript-sets
The Complete Guide to JavaScript Set Type
Javascript sets are a useful way of creating a unique list, which can be mutated, but contains no duplicates. A Set in Javascript is a great way to check if a value exists in a specified list of other values.
🌐
TutorialsPoint
tutorialspoint.com › javascript › javascript_sets_object.htm
JavaScript - Sets
A JavaScript Set object is a collection of unique values. Each value can only occur once in a Set. A Set can hold any value of any data type. The sets are introduced to JavaScript in ECMAScript 6 (ES6).
🌐
Luis Llamas
luisllamas.es › home › courses › javascript programming course
JavaScript Set: Collections of Unique Values
June 24, 2025 - Sets in JavaScript are data structures that allow you to store collections of unique values.
🌐
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › javascript › javascript-set-reference
JavaScript Set Reference - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - JavaScript Set is a collection of items that are unique, meaning no element can be repeated. Elements of the set can be iterated in the insertion order.
🌐
Web Reference
webreference.com › javascript › es6 › sets
A detailed overview of JavaScript Sets - es6
Initially, we can create a Set object with the new Set() constructor. Then, we can leverage numerous methods to change the contents inside its collection. For instance, we can add and remove elements, check if they are present in the collection, and iterate over them in a similar manner to other iterable objects in JavaScript.
🌐
Medium
medium.com › @amirakhaled2027 › javascript-set-methods-95e94892703d
JavaScript Set Methods. A set in JavaScript is a collection of… | by Amira Khaled | Medium
June 11, 2024 - A set in JavaScript is a collection of unique values. It means that no value can appear more than once within a set. Sets are often used…
🌐
Programiz
programiz.com › javascript › set-weakset
JavaScript Set and WeakSet
The JavaScript ES6 has introduced two new data structures, i.e Set and WeakSet.