Why do we need self referential object in javascript

Question

why do we need self referential object in javascript. example

let a = {};
a.self = a;

now a property self is referring to itself and become circular object.

in nodejs when we use routing library like hapi. the request object which we receive is circular

Answer 1

EDIT: I understood this question to ask "why are circular references allowed in JavaScript".

In general, I'd say an object having itself as a value of its property ( a.self = a ) is not very useful. If you have the reference to the object to take its property, you already have the reference to the object.

However, if the self-reference is deeper, then it makes a lot of sense. For example, trees that allow navigation up:

let tree = { children: [], parent: null };
tree.children.push({ children: [], parent: tree });

Here, tree.children[0].parent === tree . You have a circular object, but it serves a clear purpose: you can traverse the tree both downwards (via children ) and upwards (via parent ).

Answer 2

We don't.

Ask this code author why they did it. – zerkms