Bitwise operators are used to perform binary logic with the bit patterns in integers. JavaScript supports several bitwise operators, including:

  • & (Bitwise AND)
  • | (Bitwise OR)
  • ^ (Bitwise XOR)
  • ~ (Bitwise NOT)
  • << (Left shift)
  • >> (Sign-propagating right shift)
  • >>> (Zero-fill right shift)

 

How to Use Bitwise Operators

Here’s a brief explanation of how each operator works:

 

Bitwise AND (&)

The & operator performs a bitwise AND operation.

let x = 5;  // binary: 0101
let y = 3;  // binary: 0011
console.log(x & y); // 1 (binary: 0001)

 

Bitwise OR (|)

The | operator performs a bitwise OR operation.

let x = 5;  // binary: 0101
let y = 3;  // binary: 0011
console.log(x | y); // 7 (binary: 0111)

 

Bitwise XOR (^)

The ^ operator performs a bitwise XOR operation.

let x = 5;  // binary: 0101
let y = 3;  // binary: 0011
console.log(x ^ y); // 6 (binary: 0110)

 

Bitwise NOT (~)

The ~ operator performs a bitwise NOT operation.

let x = 5;  // binary: 0101
console.log(~x); // -6 (binary: 1010)

 

Left Shift (<<)

The << operator shifts the bits of the number to the left and fills the right side with zeros.

let x = 5;  // binary: 0101
console.log(x << 1); // 10 (binary: 1010)

 

Sign-propagating Right Shift (>>)

The >> operator shifts the bits of the number to the right. The left side is filled with the sign bit so that the sign of the number is preserved.

let x = 5;  // binary: 0101
console.log(x >> 1); // 2 (binary: 0010)

 

Zero-fill Right Shift (>>>)

The >>> operator shifts the bits of the number to the right. The left side is filled with zeros.

let x = 5;  // binary: 0101
console.log(x >>> 1); // 2 (binary: 0010)

 

Using JavaScript’s bitwise operators is fundamental to performing bit-level operations in your code. They are essential tools in every developer’s toolkit.

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