Difference Between Slice & Splice Method

The slice() and splice() methods are both used in JavaScript to manipulate arrays, but they serve different purposes.

Slice() method is used to extract a portion of an array and returns a new array containing the extracted elements. It takes two arguments: the starting index and the ending index (optional). The slice() method doesn't change the original array; instead, it creates a new array with the selected elements.

For example, if you have an array [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], and you use slice(1, 4), it will return [2, 3, 4] because it starts at index 1 (inclusive) and ends at index 4 (exclusive), so it includes elements at indexes 1, 2, and 3.

On the other hand, the splice() method changes the content of an array by removing or replacing existing elements and/or adding new elements in place. It takes at least two arguments: the starting index and the number of elements to remove. Additional arguments can be the elements to add.

For instance, using the same array [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] and applying splice(1, 2), it would remove elements starting from index 1 and remove 2 elements, resulting in the array [1, 4, 5].

One key difference is that splice() modifies the original array, while slice() doesn't. Also, splice() allows you to remove elements from anywhere in the array and replace them with other elements, while slice() just extracts a portion of the array.

In summary, slice() is used to extract parts of an array without modifying it, whereas splice() is used to change the content of an array by removing, replacing, or adding elements. Understanding the difference between these two methods is essential for effectively working with arrays in JavaScript.