sort() Methods in JavaScript

Feb 01, 2026•JavaScript•1 min read

javascriptsort methodarray methods

sort() is a built-in method in JavaScript that sorts the elements of an array in place and modifies the original array.

sort() Methods in JavaScript

sort() is a built-in method in JavaScript that sorts the elements of an array in place and modifies the original array.
By default, it sorts the elements based on their string representation.
You can customize the sort order by providing a comparison function as an argument.

Example:

Let's create an array names with some names:

let names = ['Alice', 'John', 'Bob', 'Eva', 'Daniel'];

To show all elements in the array, use the forEach() method:

let names = ['Alice', 'John', 'Bob', 'Eva', 'Daniel'];

names.forEach(item => {
    document.write(item + "<br>");
});


// Output:
Alice
John
Bob
Eva
Daniel

Now, sort the array in ascending order by default using the sort() method:

let names = ['Alice', 'John', 'Bob', 'Eva', 'Daniel'];

names.sort();

document.write(names.join(", ") + "<br>");


// Output:
Alice
Bob
Daniel
Eva
John

The array is now sorted in ascending order.

To sort the array in descending order, you can provide a custom comparison function:

let names = ['Alice', 'John', 'Bob', 'Eva', 'Daniel'];

names.sort(comparisonFunction);

function comparisonFunction(name1, name2) {
    if (name1 > name2) {
        return -1;
    } else if (name1 < name2) {
        return 1;
    } else {
        return 0;
    }
}

names.forEach(item => {
    document.write(item + "<br>");
});



// Output:
John
Eva
Daniel
Bob
Alice

In the comparison function:

If it returns -1, name1 is placed before name2.
If it returns 1, name1 is placed after name2.
If it returns 0, name1 and name2 remain unchanged relative to each other.

By using this custom function, the array is sorted in descending order.

Feb 01, 2026

sort() Methods in JavaScript

sort() Methods in JavaScript

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