MDN doc
BigIntis a built-in object that provides a way to represent whole numbers larger than 2^53 - 1, which is the largest number JavaScript can reliably represent with theNumberprimitive and represented by theNumber.MAX_SAFE_INTEGERconstant.BigIntcan be used for arbitrarily large integers.
Difference:
BigIntcannot be used with methods in the built-inMathobject and cannot be mixed with instances ofNumberin operations- Because coercing between
NumberandBigIntcan lead to loss of precision, it is recommended to only useBigIntwhen values greater than 2^53 are reasonably expected and not to coerce between the two types.
MDN doc
BigIntis a built-in object that provides a way to represent whole numbers larger than 2^53 - 1, which is the largest number JavaScript can reliably represent with theNumberprimitive and represented by theNumber.MAX_SAFE_INTEGERconstant.BigIntcan be used for arbitrarily large integers.
Difference:
BigIntcannot be used with methods in the built-inMathobject and cannot be mixed with instances ofNumberin operations- Because coercing between
NumberandBigIntcan lead to loss of precision, it is recommended to only useBigIntwhen values greater than 2^53 are reasonably expected and not to coerce between the two types.
The differences between BigInt and Number:
Number |
BigInt |
|
|---|---|---|
| Safe Range | Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER; loses precision outside of this range |
Extremely large integers |
| Math operations | Supports the Math object |
Basic arithmetic operations: + * - % ** |
| Decimal vs. Integer support | Integers and decimals, e.g 1.00, 2.56 |
Only integers, e.g 1n, 2n. 5n / 2 === 2n |
| Syntax | No special syntax | Append n to the end of a number literal or use new BigInt('100') |
| Type Conversion | Automatically converts Number to BigInt in operations |
Requires explicit conversion to Number for arithmetic involving Number values |
| JSON | Supported by default | Not serializable by default |
Use BigInt when you need to work with extremely large integers or require precise integer arithmetic without any loss of precision.
JS Data Types - number vs BigInt questions
What is the difference between 'bigint' (lowercase) and 'BigInt'?
How do I add a (number | bigint) to another (number | bigint), enforcing they they are of the same type?
Typescript: using BigInt instead of number
Videos
Hi there, I'm learning data types in javascript. Messing around. I used these variables.
let x = 15;
let y = 123456789999;
typeof shows them both as numbers. So it got me thinking...
Where does number end and bigint begin? I went as high as let y = 1234567899999999999999999999999999999; and it was still a number. When I put an n on the end, it's bigint, so
What does n stand for or translate to? Is it infinity, or does it make it some continuous number? I thought number and bigint were separate DTs for memory purposes, so
Is there an explicit way to declare a number vs bigint? I want to see what happens if I declare a bigint as a number and vice versa. But number is reserved, so I can't "let number = 123456789999n".
Lastly, does anyone use bigint in programming, I mean, does it serve a practical purpose?
Thanks
I have two variables "a" and "b." Both can either be a "number" or a "bigint" but they will be of the same type. How do I assure TypeScript they will be the same type?