How to Check if a String is Empty in JavaScript

Tari Ibaba
Last updated on July 18, 2022
How to Check if a String is Empty in JavaScript

1. Comparing the String with an Empty String

To check if a string is empty in JavaScript, we can compare the string with an empty string ('') in an if statement.

For example:

function checkIfEmpty(str) {
  if (str === '') {
    console.log('String is empty');
  } else {
    console.log('String is NOT empty');
  }
}

const str1 = 'not empty';
const str2 = ''; // empty

checkIfEmpty(str1); // outputs: String is NOT empty
checkIfEmpty(str2); // outputs: String is empty

To treat a string containing only whitespace as empty, call the trim() method on the string before comparing it with an empty string.

function checkIfEmpty(str) {
  if (str.trim() === '') {
    console.log('String is empty');
  } else {
    console.log('String is NOT empty');
  }
}

const str1 = 'not empty';
const str2 = ''; // empty
const str3 = '   '; // contains only whitespace

checkIfEmpty(str1); // outputs: String is NOT empty
checkIfEmpty(str2); // outputs: String is empty
checkIfEmpty(str3); // outputs: String is empty

The String trim() method removes all whitespace from the beginning and end of a string and returns a new string, without modifying the original.

const str1 = '  bread  ';
const str2 = '   milk tea    ';

console.log(str1.trim()); // 'bread'
console.log(str2.trim()); // 'milk tea'

How to Check if a String is Empty, null, or undefined

Depending on your scenario, you might want to consider that the string could be a nullish value (null or undefined). To check for this, use the string if statement directly, like this:

function checkIfEmpty(str) {
  if (str) {
    console.log('String is NOT empty');
  } else {
    console.log('String is empty');
  }
}

const str1 = 'not empty';
const str2 = ''; // empty
const str3 = null;
const str4 = undefined;

checkIfEmpty(str1); // outputs: String is NOT empty
checkIfEmpty(str2); // outputs: String is empty
checkIfEmpty(str3); // outputs: String is empty
checkIfEmpty(str4); // outputs: String is empty

If the string is nullish or empty, it will be coerced to false in the if statement. Otherwise, it will be coerced to true.

To remove all whitespace and also check for a nullish value, use the optional chaining operator (?.) to call the trim() method on the string before using it in an if statement.

function checkIfEmpty(str) {
  if (str?.trim()) {
    console.log('String is NOT empty');
  } else {
    console.log('String is empty');
  }
}

const str1 = 'not empty';
const str2 = ''; // empty
const str3 = null;
const str4 = undefined;
const str5 = '    '; // contains only whitespace

checkIfEmpty(str1); // outputs: String is NOT empty
checkIfEmpty(str2); // outputs: String is empty
checkIfEmpty(str3); // outputs: String is empty
checkIfEmpty(str4); // outputs: String is empty
checkIfEmpty(str5); // outputs: String is empty

The optional chaining operator lets us call the trim() method on a null or undefined string without causing an error. Instead, it prevents the method call and returns undefined.

const str1 = null;
const str2 = undefined;

console.log(str1?.trim()); // undefined
console.log(str2?.trim()); // undefined

2. Comparing the Length of the String with 0

Alternatively, we can access the length property of a string and compare its value with 0 to check if the string is empty.

function checkIfEmpty(str) {
  if (str.length === 0) {
    console.log('String is empty');
  } else {
    console.log('String is NOT empty');
  }
}

const str1 = 'not empty';
const str2 = ''; // empty

checkIfEmpty(str1); // outputs: String is NOT empty
checkIfEmpty(str2); // outputs: String is empty

To check for strings containing only whitespace with this approach, we would also call the trim() method before comparing the length of the trimmed string with 0.

function checkIfEmpty(str) {
  if (str.trim().length === 0) {
    console.log('String is empty');
  } else {
    console.log('String is NOT empty');
  }
}

const str1 = 'not empty';
const str2 = ''; // empty
const str3 = '   '; // contains only whitespace

checkIfEmpty(str1); // outputs: String is NOT empty
checkIfEmpty(str2); // outputs: String is empty
checkIfEmpty(str3); // outputs: String is empty
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