Comparison Operators in JavaScript

Comparison operators compare two values and return a boolean (true or false).

The Operators

// Equal to
5 == 5     // true
5 == "5"   // true (type coercion!)

// Strict equal (recommended)
5 === 5    // true
5 === "5"  // false (different types)

// Not equal
5 != 3     // true
5 != "5"   // false (type coercion!)

// Strict not equal (recommended)
5 !== "5"  // true
5 !== 5    // false

// Greater / Less than
10 > 5     // true
10 < 5     // false
10 >= 10   // true
10 <= 9    // false

== vs === (The Big One)

This is one of the most important concepts in JavaScript:

• == (loose equality) — converts types before comparing
• === (strict equality) — compares both value AND type

// Loose equality — surprises!
0 == false      // true
"" == false     // true
null == undefined // true
"0" == 0        // true

// Strict equality — predictable!
0 === false     // false
"" === false    // false
null === undefined // false
"0" === 0       // false

Always use === and !== to avoid unexpected behavior.

Comparing Strings

"apple" < "banana"  // true (alphabetical)
"a" < "b"           // true
"Z" < "a"           // true (uppercase before lowercase)