structuredClone

structuredClone is a global function in JavaScript that provides a way to perform a deep copy of a value. It's designed to handle a wider range of JavaScript data types than the simple JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(value)) method, which is often used for shallow cloning or copying plain objects.

The structuredClone function can correctly clone objects that contain circular references, which would cause JSON.stringify to throw an error. It also supports cloning of more complex data structures like Dates, Regexps, Maps, Sets, and even ArrayBuffers. The cloning process is based on the HTML structured clone algorithm, which is used in various web APIs for transferring data between different execution contexts, such as transferring objects between a main thread and a web worker.

When structuredClone encounters a value that cannot be cloned, such as a function or a DOM node, it throws a DataCloneError. This behavior ensures that only serializable data can be copied. This deep copying mechanism is particularly useful when you need to ensure that modifications to a copied object do not affect the original, preventing unintended side effects in your application. It's a powerful tool for managing state and data manipulation in modern JavaScript development.