Deleting Objects in JavaScript

"variables declared implicitly" are properties of the global object, so delete works on them like it works on any property. Variables declared with var are indestructible.

The delete command has no effect on regular variables, only properties. After the delete command the property doesn't have the value null, it doesn't exist at all.

If the property is an object reference, the delete command deletes the property but not the object. The garbage collector will take care of the object if it has no other references to it.

Example:

var x = new Object();
x.y = 42;

alert(x.y); // shows '42'

delete x; // no effect
alert(x.y); // still shows '42'

delete x.y; // deletes the property
alert(x.y); // shows 'undefined'

(Tested in Firefox.)

The delete operator deletes only a reference, never an object itself. If it did delete the object itself, other remaining references would be dangling, like a C++ delete. (And accessing one of them would cause a crash. To make them all turn null would mean having extra work when deleting or extra memory for each object.)

Since Javascript is garbage collected, you don't need to delete objects themselves - they will be removed when there is no way to refer to them anymore.

It can be useful to delete references to an object if you are finished with them, because this gives the garbage collector more information about what is able to be reclaimed. If references remain to a large object, this can cause it to be unreclaimed - even if the rest of your program doesn't actually use that object.