New to JavaScript and a beginner. I came across JavaScript variables and realized there are three different ways to go about them (var, let and const). Do they each have a specific purpose or you can More on stackoverflow.com

“let” and “const” are relatively new to JS, and are what you should use now. If the materials you’re learning from use “var” and don’t explain very soon why not to, find some newer materials. “var” works in subtly different ways that can be confusing and prone to errors, mainly dealing with variable scope. See this post for some more in-the-weeds explanation of var vs let. More on reddit.com

Using the function keyword creates a function declaration. Function declarations are hoisted to the top of the scope, thus the following code works fine: add(1, 2) function add (a, b) { return a + b } There are readability advantages to using the function keyword as it clearly communicates that this is a function. We can also create an anonymous function expression and, because functions in JavaScript are first class citizens, assign a function to a named variable with let, const or var. Keep in mind though, variables declared with let and const are hoisted, but not initialized with a value. Whereas variables declared with var are hoisted and initialized with the value undefined. So because add is invoked prior to it's initialization in the code below we encounter an error. With let/const: add(1, 2) // Reference error - cannot access 'add' before initialization const add = function (a, b) { return a + b } With var: add(1, 2) // Type error - 'add' is not a function (as it is initialized as undefined when hoisted) var add = function (a, b) { return a + b } If you're assigning a function to a variable I can't think of any situation where you wouldn't use const. Functions should always be pure and immutable whenever possible. Given a certain input, the output should always be consistently the same. Using const protects you from accidentally reassigning a variable containing a function expression. Compare this to use of the function keyword, which allows you to declare a named function twice, overiding the previous: function add (a, b) { return a + b } function add (a, b) { return a - b } add(2, 1) // 1 This is a disadvantage of function declarations versus expressions. Provided you understand the pros/cons and how hoisting works, it is really personal choice whether you prefer function declarations versus expressions. More on reddit.com

It's leftover from before ES6. There's a lot of good programming, libraries, and tutorials created before ES6 that use var, and nobody is going to bother changing them now... but today, there's virtually no reason to use it. Using var might introduce a weird bug into your code that let/const wouldn't. Existing code that uses var works around that. Now with let/const, we don't need to worry about it. Use const by default. If you really need to change a variable's value, use let. Never use var. More on reddit.com