---
title: Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty()
short-title: hasOwnProperty()
slug: Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Object/hasOwnProperty
page-type: javascript-instance-method
browser-compat: javascript.builtins.Object.hasOwnProperty
sidebar: jsref
---

The **`hasOwnProperty()`** method of {{jsxref("Object")}} instances returns a boolean indicating whether this
object has the specified property as its own property (as opposed to inheriting
it).

> [!NOTE]
> {{jsxref("Object.hasOwn()")}} is recommended over
> `hasOwnProperty()`, in browsers where it is supported.

{{InteractiveExample("JavaScript Demo: Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty()")}}

```js interactive-example
const object = {};
object.foo = 42;

console.log(object.hasOwnProperty("foo"));
// Expected output: true

console.log(object.hasOwnProperty("toString"));
// Expected output: false

console.log(object.hasOwnProperty("hasOwnProperty"));
// Expected output: false
```

## Syntax

```js-nolint
hasOwnProperty(prop)
```

### Parameters

- `prop`
  - : The {{jsxref("String")}} name or [Symbol](/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Symbol) of the property to test.

### Return value

Returns `true` if the object has the specified property as own property; `false`
otherwise.

## Description

The **`hasOwnProperty()`** method returns `true` if the specified property is a
direct property of the object — even if the value is `null` or `undefined`. The
method returns `false` if the property is inherited, or has not been declared at
all. Unlike the {{jsxref("Operators/in", "in")}} operator, this
method does not check for the specified property in the object's prototype
chain.

The method can be called on _most_ JavaScript objects, because most objects
descend from {{jsxref("Object")}}, and hence inherit its methods. For
example {{jsxref("Array")}} is an {{jsxref("Object")}}, so you can
use `hasOwnProperty()` method to check whether an index exists:

```js
const fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Watermelon", "Orange"];
fruits.hasOwnProperty(3); // true ('Orange')
fruits.hasOwnProperty(4); // false - not defined
```

The method will not be available in objects where it is reimplemented, or on
[`null`-prototype objects](/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Object#null-prototype_objects) (as these don't inherit from
`Object.prototype`). Examples for these cases are given below.

## Examples

### Using hasOwnProperty to test for an own property's existence

The following code shows how to determine whether the `example` object contains a property named `prop`.

```js
const example = {};
example.hasOwnProperty("prop"); // false

example.prop = "exists";
example.hasOwnProperty("prop"); // true - 'prop' has been defined

example.prop = null;
example.hasOwnProperty("prop"); // true - own property exists with value of null

example.prop = undefined;
example.hasOwnProperty("prop"); // true - own property exists with value of undefined
```

### Direct vs. inherited properties

The following example differentiates between direct properties and properties inherited through the prototype chain:

```js
const example = {};
example.prop = "exists";

// `hasOwnProperty` will only return true for direct properties:
example.hasOwnProperty("prop"); // true
example.hasOwnProperty("toString"); // false
example.hasOwnProperty("hasOwnProperty"); // false

// The `in` operator will return true for direct or inherited properties:
"prop" in example; // true
"toString" in example; // true
"hasOwnProperty" in example; // true
```

### Iterating over the properties of an object

The following example shows how to iterate over the enumerable properties of an
object without executing on inherited properties.

```js
const buz = {
  fog: "stack",
};

for (const name in buz) {
  if (buz.hasOwnProperty(name)) {
    console.log(`this is fog (${name}) for sure. Value: ${buz[name]}`);
  } else {
    console.log(name); // toString or something else
  }
}
```

Note that the {{jsxref("Statements/for...in", "for...in")}} loop
only iterates enumerable items: the absence of non-enumerable properties emitted
from the loop does not imply that `hasOwnProperty` itself is confined strictly
to enumerable items. You can iterate over non-enumerable properties with
{{jsxref("Object.getOwnPropertyNames()")}}.

### Using hasOwnProperty as a property name

JavaScript does not protect the property name `hasOwnProperty`; an object that
has a property with this name may return incorrect results:

```js
const foo = {
  hasOwnProperty() {
    return false;
  },
  bar: "Here be dragons",
};

foo.hasOwnProperty("bar"); // re-implementation always returns false
```

The recommended way to overcome this problem is to instead use
{{jsxref("Object.hasOwn()")}} (in browsers that support it). Other
alternatives include using an _external_ `hasOwnProperty`:

```js
const foo = { bar: "Here be dragons" };

// Use Object.hasOwn() method - recommended
Object.hasOwn(foo, "bar"); // true

// Use the hasOwnProperty property from the Object prototype
Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(foo, "bar"); // true

// Use another Object's hasOwnProperty
// and call it with 'this' set to foo
({}).hasOwnProperty.call(foo, "bar"); // true
```

Note that in the first two cases there are no newly created objects.

### Objects created with Object.create(null)

[`null`-prototype objects](/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Object#null-prototype_objects) do not
inherit from `Object.prototype`, making `hasOwnProperty()` inaccessible.

```js
const foo = Object.create(null);
foo.prop = "exists";
foo.hasOwnProperty("prop"); // Uncaught TypeError: foo.hasOwnProperty is not a function
```

The solutions in this case are the same as for the previous section: use
{{jsxref("Object.hasOwn()")}} by preference, otherwise use an
external object's `hasOwnProperty()`.

## Specifications

{{Specifications}}

## Browser compatibility

{{Compat}}

## See also

- {{jsxref("Object.hasOwn()")}}
- [Enumerability and ownership of properties](/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/Enumerability_and_ownership_of_properties)
- {{jsxref("Object.getOwnPropertyNames()")}}
- {{jsxref("Statements/for...in", "for...in")}}
- {{jsxref("Operators/in", "in")}}
- [Inheritance and the prototype chain](/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/Inheritance_and_the_prototype_chain)