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Merge

Merge and extend objects.

Installation

npm install @stdlib/utils-merge

Alternatively,

• To load the package in a website via a script tag without installation and bundlers, use the ES Module available on the esm branch (see README).
• If you are using Deno, visit the deno branch (see README for usage intructions).
• For use in Observable, or in browser/node environments, use the Universal Module Definition (UMD) build available on the umd branch (see README).

The branches.md file summarizes the available branches and displays a diagram illustrating their relationships.

To view installation and usage instructions specific to each branch build, be sure to explicitly navigate to the respective README files on each branch, as linked to above.

Usage

var merge = require( '@stdlib/utils-merge' );

merge( target, source1[, source2[,...,sourceN]] )

Merges and extends a target object.

var target = {
    'a': 'beep'
};
var source = {
    'a': 'boop',
    'b': 'bap'
};

var out = merge( target, source );
/* returns
    {
        'a': 'boop',
        'b': 'bap'
    }
*/

The function supports merging multiple source objects.

var target = {
    'a': 'beep'
};
var source1 = {
    'b': 'boop'
};
var source2 = {
    'c': 'cat'
};

var out = merge( target, source1, source2 );
/* returns
    {
        'a': 'beep',
        'b': 'boop',
        'c': 'cat'
    }
*/

merge.factory( options )

Returns a custom merge function for merging and extending objects.

var opts = {
    'level': 100,
    'copy': true,
    'override': true,
    'extend': true
};

var m = merge.factory( opts );

The function accepts the following options:

• level: limits the merge depth. The default merge strategy is a deep (recursive) merge. Default: +infinity.
• copy: boolean indicating whether to deep copy merged values. Deep copying prevents shared references and source object mutation. Default: true.
• override: defines the merge strategy. If true, source object values will always override target object values. If false, source values never override target values (useful for adding, but not overwriting, properties). To define a custom merge strategy, provide a function. Default: true.
• extend: boolean indicating whether new properties can be added to the target object. If false, only shared properties are merged. Default: true.

The default merge is a deep (recursive) merge.

var m = merge.factory( {} );

var target = {
    'a': {
        'b': {
            'c': 5
        },
        'd': 'beep'
    }
};
var source = {
    'a': {
        'b': {
            'c': 10
        }
    }
};

var out = m( target, source );
/* returns
    {
        'a': {
            'b': {
                'c': 10
            },
            'd': 'beep'
        }
    }
*/

To limit the merge depth, set the level option.

var m = merge.factory({
    'level': 2
});

var target = {
    '1': {
        'a': 'beep',
        '2': {
            '3': null,
            'b': [ 5, 6, 7 ]
        }
    }
};

var source = {
    '1': {
        'b': 'boop',
        '2': {
            '3': [ 1, 2, 3 ]
        }
    }
};

var out = m( target, source );
/* returns
    {
        '1': {
            'a': 'beep',
            'b': 'boop',
            '2': {
                '3': [ 1, 2, 3 ]
            }
        }
    }
*/

By default, merged values are deep copied.

var m = merge.factory( {} );

var target = {
    'a': null
};
var source = {
    'a': {
        'b': [ 1, 2, 3 ]
    }
};

var out = m( target, source );

console.log( out.a.b === source.a.b );
// => false

To allow shared references, set the copy option to false.

var m = merge.factory({
    'copy': false
});

var target = {};

var source = {
    'a': [ 1, 2, 3 ]
};

var out = m( target, source );

var bool = ( out.a === source.a );
// returns true

To prevent existing properties from being overridden, set the override option to false.

var m = merge.factory({
    'override': false
});

var target = {
    'a': 'beep',
    'b': 'boop'
};

var source = {
    'a': null,
    'c': 'bop'
};

var out = m( target, source );
/* returns
    {
        'a': 'beep',
        'b': 'boop',
        'c': 'bop'
    }
*/

Alternatively, to define a custom merge strategy, set the override option to a function.

function strategy( a, b, key ) {
    /* Parameters:
        a => target value
        b => source value
        key => object key
    */
    if ( key === 'a' ) {
        return b;
    }
    if ( key === 'b' ) {
        return a;
    }
    return 'bebop';
}

var m = merge.factory({
    'override': strategy
});

var target = {
    'a': 'beep',
    'b': 'boop',
    'c': 1234
};

var source = {
    'a': null,
    'b': {},
    'c': 'bop'
};

var out = m( target, source );
/* returns
    {
        'a': null,
        'b': 'boop',
        'c': 'bebop'
    }
*/

To prevent non-existent properties from being added to the target object, set the extend option to false.

var m = merge.factory({
    'extend': false
});

var target = {
    'a': 'beep',
    'b': 'boop'
};

var source = {
    'b': 'hello',
    'c': 'world'
};

var out = m( target, source );
/* returns
    {
        'a': 'beep',
        'b': 'hello'
    }
*/

---

Notes

• The target object is mutated.

  var target = {
      'a': 'beep'
  };
  var source = {
      'b': 'boop'
  };
  
  var out = merge( target, source );
  
  console.log( out === target );
  // => true
  
  console.log( target.b );
  // => 'boop'

  To return a new object, provide an empty object as the first argument.

  var target = {
      'a': 'beep'
  };
  var source = {
      'b': 'boop'
  };
  
  var out = merge( {}, target, source );
  
  console.log( out === target );
  // => false

• Only plain JavaScript objects are merged and extended. The following values/types are either deep copied or assigned:

  • Boolean
  • String
  • Number
  • Date
  • RegExp
  • Array
  • Int8Array
  • Uint8Array
  • Uint8ClampedArray
  • Init16Array
  • Uint16Array
  • Int32Array
  • Uint32Array
  • Float32Array
  • Float64Array
  • Buffer (Node.js)
  • Set
  • Map
  • Error
  • URIError
  • ReferenceError
  • SyntaxError
  • RangeError

• Support for deep merging class instances is inherently fragile.

• Number, String, or Boolean objects are merged as primitives.

• Functions are not deep copied.

---

Examples

var merge = require( '@stdlib/utils-merge' );

var target = {
    'a': 'beep',
    'b': 'boop',
    'c': {
        'c1': 'woot',
        'c2': false,
        'c3': {
            'c3a': [ 1, 2 ],
            'c3b': null
        }
    },
    'd': [ 1, 2, 3 ]
};

var source = {
    'b': 3.141592653589793,
    'c': {
        'c1': 'bap',
        'c3': {
            'c3b': 5,
            'c3c': 'bop'
        },
        'c4': 1337,
        'c5': new Date()
    },
    'd': [ 4, 5, 6 ],
    'e': true
};

var out = merge( {}, target, source );
/* returns
    {
        'a': 'beep',
        'b': 3.141592653589793,
        'c': {
            'c1': 'bap',
            'c2': false,
            'c3': {
                'c3a': [ 1, 2 ],
                'c3b': 5,
                'c3c': 'bop'
            },
            'c4': 1337,
            'c5': <Date>
        },
        'd': [ 4, 5, 6 ],
        'e': true
    }
*/

---

See Also

• @stdlib/utils-copy: copy or deep clone a value to an arbitrary depth.

---

Notice

This package is part of stdlib, a standard library for JavaScript and Node.js, with an emphasis on numerical and scientific computing. The library provides a collection of robust, high performance libraries for mathematics, statistics, streams, utilities, and more.

For more information on the project, filing bug reports and feature requests, and guidance on how to develop stdlib, see the main project repository.

Community

---

License

See LICENSE.

Copyright

Copyright © 2016-2025. The Stdlib Authors.