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
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 - Empty strings contain no characters, while null strings have no value assigned. Checking for an empty, undefined, or null string in JavaScript involves verifying if the string is falsy or has a length of zero.
๐ŸŒ
Medium
medium.com โ€บ @yi_yuan โ€บ understanding-null-undefined-and-empty-strings-in-javascript-a07959084d
Understanding Null, Undefined, and Empty Strings in JavaScript | by Yi Yuan | Medium
January 8, 2023 - Hereโ€™s an example using the match() ... ] console.log(fruitName.match(/b/)) // logs null ยท โ€œUndefinedโ€ means that a variable has been declared, but it has no value yet....
Top answer
1 of 5
24

In programming, truthiness or falsiness is that quality of those boolean expressions which don't resolve to an actual boolean value, but which nevertheless get interpreted as a boolean result.

In the case of C, any expression that evaluates to zero is interpreted to be false. In Javascript, the expression value in

if(value) {
}

will evaluate to true if value is not:

null
undefined
NaN
empty string ("")
0
false

See Also
Is there a standard function to check for null, undefined, or blank variables in JavaScript?

2 of 5
9

The set of "truthy" and "falsey" values in JavaScript comes from the ToBoolean abstract operation defined in the ECMAScript spec, which is used when coercing a value to a boolean:

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Argument Type | Result                                                   |
|---------------+----------------------------------------------------------|
| Undefined     | false                                                    |
|---------------+----------------------------------------------------------|
| Null          | false                                                    |
|---------------+----------------------------------------------------------|
| Boolean       | The result equals the input argument (no conversion).    |
|---------------+----------------------------------------------------------|
| Number        | The result is false if the argument is +0, โˆ’0, or NaN;   |
|               | otherwise the result is true.                            |
|---------------+----------------------------------------------------------|
| String        | The result is false if the argument is the empty String  |
|               | (its length is zero); otherwise the result is true.      |
|---------------+----------------------------------------------------------|
| Object        | true                                                     |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+

From this table, we can see that null and undefined are both coerced to false in a boolean context. However, your fields.length === 0 does not map generally onto a false value. If fields.length is a string, then it will be treated as false (because a zero-length string is false), but if it is an object (including an array) it will coerce to true.

If fields should be a string, then !fields is a sufficient predicate. If fields is an array, your best check might be:

if (!fields || fields.length === 0)
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 - Considering JavaScript's type coercion and truthy/falsy evaluation, a more encompassing check can be performed to cover empty, undefined, and null strings in a single condition.
๐ŸŒ
DEV Community
dev.to โ€บ akshatsoni26 โ€บ decoding-javascript-mastering-null-undefined-and-empty-values-hld
Decoding JavaScript: Mastering Null, Undefined, and Empty Values - DEV Community
August 4, 2024 - Note: typeof null returns object, ... { console.log(param); } myFunction(); // Output: undefined ยท An empty string is a valid string with a length of zero....
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
function isEmpty(value) { return (value == null || (typeof value === "string" && value.trim().length === 0)); } console.log(isEmpty("cat")); // false console.log(isEmpty(1)); // false console.log(isEmpty([])); // false console.log(isEmpty({})); // false console.log(isEmpty(false)); // false console.log(isEmpty(0)); // false console.log(isEmpty(-0)); // false console.log(isEmpty(NaN)); // false console.log(isEmpty("")); // true console.log(isEmpty(" ")); // true console.log(isEmpty(null)); // true console.log(isEmpty(undefined)); // true
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);
  }
});

Find elsewhere
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 - A string in JavaScript is considered truthy unless it is empty (โ€˜โ€™), null, or undefined, which are all falsy values. This behavior underpins many of the shorthand techniques used for validation but also requires a clear understanding to avoid unintended consequences.
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"); }
๐ŸŒ
Gabrielcordeiro
gabrielcordeiro.dev โ€บ blogs โ€บ what's the difference between null, undefined and empty in javascript
What's the difference between Null, Undefined and Empty in Javascript | Gabriel Schmidt Cordeiro
February 16, 2024 - Each serves a specific purpose in the language: null for intentional absence of an object value, undefined for uninitialized variables, and empty strings for cases where a string value is required but empty.
๐ŸŒ
TutorialsPoint
tutorialspoint.com โ€บ how-to-check-empty-undefined-null-strings-in-javascript
How to check empty/undefined/null strings in JavaScript?
In JavaScript, "" represents the empty string, and we can use the null keyword to initialize the string with a null value. If we don't assign any value to any variable, it is undefined by default.
๐ŸŒ
Code Boxx
code-boxx.com โ€บ home โ€บ null vs undefined vs empty in javascript (a simple guide)
NULL vs UNDEFINED vs EMPTY In Javascript (A Simple Guide)
June 11, 2023 - null !== undefined because one is an object while the other is undefined. The empty string is the โ€œodd oneโ€ that will not match with null and undefined.
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.
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 - We can check for this by doing the following: ... This depends on the objectโ€™s โ€œtruthinessโ€. โ€œTruthyโ€ values like โ€œwordsโ€ or numbers greater than zero would return true, whereas empty strings would return false.
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 - Looking at the code above, we can see that the compiler/computer interprets each value differently. So when it comes time to check, we must pass conditions for both types of values because we as humans frequently refer to null as empty. We now know that an empty string is one that contains no characters.
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 - let str = ""; if(str.length === 0) { console.log("String is empty"); } 2. To check for an undefined variable, you can use the typeof operator. 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 undefined are falsy values, so you can use !
๐ŸŒ
xjavascript
xjavascript.com โ€บ blog โ€บ how-do-i-check-for-an-empty-undefined-null-string-in-javascript
How to Check for Empty, Undefined, or Null Strings in JavaScript: Is There a `string.Empty` Equivalent? โ€” xjavascript.com
Use === undefined or typeof to check for undefined. Use === null to check for null. Use str === "" to check for empty strings. Use str.trim() === "" to check for whitespace-only strings. JavaScript has no string.Empty equivalentโ€”use "" instead.
๐ŸŒ
Arunkumar Blog
arungudelli.com โ€บ home โ€บ tutorial โ€บ javascript โ€บ how to check if a string is empty/null/undefined in javascript
How To Check If A String Is Empty/Null/Undefined In JavaScript
November 17, 2019 - var undefinedString; if(!undefinedString){ console.log("string is undefined"); } var emptyString=""; if(!emptyString){ console.log("string is empty"); } var nullString=null; if(!nullString){ console.log("string is null"); }