{ get prop() { /* … */ } }
{ get [expression]() { /* … */ } }

There are some additional syntax restrictions:

• A getter must have exactly zero parameters.

prop

The name of the property to bind to the given function. In the same way as other properties in object initializers, it can be a string literal, a number literal, or an identifier.

expression

You can also use expressions for a computed property name to bind to the given function.

Sometimes it is desirable to allow access to a property that returns a dynamically computed value, or you may want to reflect the status of an internal variable without requiring the use of explicit method calls. In JavaScript, this can be accomplished with the use of a getter.

It is not possible to simultaneously have a getter bound to a property and have that property actually hold a value, although it is possible to use a getter and a setter in conjunction to create a type of pseudo-property.

This will create a pseudo-property latest for object obj, which will return the last array item in log.

const obj = {
  log: ["example", "test"],
  get latest() {
    if (this.log.length === 0) return undefined;
    return this.log[this.log.length - 1];
  },
};
console.log(obj.latest); // "test"

Note that attempting to assign a value to latest will not change it.

You can use the exact same syntax to define public instance getters that are available on class instances. In classes, you don't need the comma separator between methods.

class ClassWithGetSet {
  #msg = "hello world";
  get msg() {
    return this.#msg;
  }
  set msg(x) {
    this.#msg = `hello ${x}`;
  }
}

const instance = new ClassWithGetSet();
console.log(instance.msg); // "hello world"

instance.msg = "cake";
console.log(instance.msg); // "hello cake"

Getter properties are defined on the prototype property of the class and are thus shared by all instances of the class. Unlike getter properties in object literals, getter properties in classes are not enumerable.

Static getters and private getters use similar syntaxes, which are described in the static and private properties pages.

If you want to remove the getter, you can just delete it:

delete obj.latest;

To append a getter to an existing object later at any time, use Object.defineProperty().

const o = { a: 0 };

Object.defineProperty(o, "b", {
  get() {
    return this.a + 1;
  },
});

console.log(o.b); // Runs the getter, which yields a + 1 (which is 1)

Getters give you a way to define a property of an object, but they do not calculate the property's value until it is accessed. A getter defers the cost of calculating the value until the value is needed. If it is never needed, you never pay the cost.

An additional optimization technique to lazify or delay the calculation of a property value and cache it for later access are smart (or memoized) getters. The value is calculated the first time the getter is called, and is then cached so subsequent accesses return the cached value without recalculating it. This is useful in the following situations:

• If the calculation of a property value is expensive (takes much RAM or CPU time, spawns worker threads, retrieves remote file, etc.).
• If the value isn't needed just now. It will be used later, or in some case it's not used at all.
• If it's used, it will be accessed several times, and there is no need to re-calculate that value will never be changed or shouldn't be re-calculated.

In the following example, the object has a getter as its own property. On getting the property, the property is removed from the object and re-added, but implicitly as a data property this time. Finally, the value gets returned.

const obj = {
  get notifier() {
    delete this.notifier;
    this.notifier = document.getElementById("bookmarked-notification-anchor");
    return this.notifier;
  },
};

While using the get keyword and Object.defineProperty() have similar results, there is a subtle difference between the two when used on classes.

When using get the property will be defined on the instance's prototype, while using Object.defineProperty() the property will be defined on the instance it is applied to.

class Example {
  get hello() {
    return "world";
  }
}

const obj = new Example();
console.log(obj.hello);
// "world"

console.log(Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(obj, "hello"));
// undefined

console.log(
  Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(Object.getPrototypeOf(obj), "hello"),
);
// { configurable: true, enumerable: false, get: function get hello() { return 'world'; }, set: undefined }

• Working with objects guide
• Functions
• set
• Object.defineProperty()
• Object initializer
• class
• Property accessors
• Incompatible ES5 change: literal getter and setter functions must now have exactly zero or one arguments by Jeff Walden (2010)
• More SpiderMonkey changes: ancient, esoteric, very rarely used syntax for creating getters and setters is being removed by Jeff Walden (2010)