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Switch Statements

When you have many conditions checking the same variable, switch is cleaner than a long if/else if chain. Switch compares a value against multiple cases and runs the matching code.

10 min•By Priygop Team•Updated 2026

Switch vs if/else

switch (value) { case X: ... break; } - Compares value against each case
break - Stops execution. Without it, code 'falls through' to the next case
default - Runs if no case matches (like the else in if/else)
When to use - When checking one variable against many specific values (days, months, status codes)
When NOT to use - When conditions are ranges (score >= 90) or complex logic. Use if/else instead

Switch Code

const day = "Monday";

switch (day) {
  case "Monday":
    console.log("Start of the work week 💼");
    break;
  case "Tuesday":
  case "Wednesday":
  case "Thursday":
    console.log("Midweek grind 📊");
    break;
  case "Friday":
    console.log("TGIF! 🎉");
    break;
  case "Saturday":
  case "Sunday":
    console.log("Weekend! 🏖️");
    break;
  default:
    console.log("Invalid day");
}

// Real use case: HTTP status codes
const status = 404;
switch (status) {
  case 200: console.log("Success ✅"); break;
  case 301: console.log("Redirected ↗️"); break;
  case 404: console.log("Not Found ❌"); break;
  case 500: console.log("Server Error 🔥"); break;
  default:  console.log("Unknown status");
}

Tip

Intentional fall-through in switch is useful when multiple cases share the same code. Group cases like: case 'Tuesday': case 'Wednesday': case 'Thursday': console.log('Midweek'). Add a comment // fall-through to show it's intentional.

Diagram

Loading diagram…

Use if/else for complex logic, switch for exact matches, ternary for one-liners

Common Mistake

Warning

Forgetting the break statement causes fall-through - execution continues into the next case even if it doesn't match. This is the #1 switch bug. Always add break after each case unless you intentionally want fall-through.

Practice Task

Note

Build a day-type classifier with switch: (1) Monday-Friday prints 'Weekday'. (2) Saturday-Sunday prints 'Weekend'. (3) Use fall-through for grouped days. (4) Add a default case for invalid input.

Quick Quiz

Key Takeaways

When you have many conditions checking the same variable, switch is cleaner than a long if/else if chain.
switch (value) { case X: ... break; } - Compares value against each case
break - Stops execution. Without it, code 'falls through' to the next case
default - Runs if no case matches (like the else in if/else)

Topics in This Module

Switch vs if/else

switch (value) { case X: ... break; } - Compares value against each case

break - Stops execution. Without it, code 'falls through' to the next case

default - Runs if no case matches (like the else in if/else)

When to use - When checking one variable against many specific values (days, months, status codes)

When NOT to use - When conditions are ranges (score >= 90) or complex logic. Use if/else instead

Switch Code

const day = "Monday";

switch (day) {
  case "Monday":
    console.log("Start of the work week 💼");
    break;
  case "Tuesday":
  case "Wednesday":
  case "Thursday":
    console.log("Midweek grind 📊");
    break;
  case "Friday":
    console.log("TGIF! 🎉");
    break;
  case "Saturday":
  case "Sunday":
    console.log("Weekend! 🏖️");
    break;
  default:
    console.log("Invalid day");
}

// Real use case: HTTP status codes
const status = 404;
switch (status) {
  case 200: console.log("Success ✅"); break;
  case 301: console.log("Redirected ↗️"); break;
  case 404: console.log("Not Found ❌"); break;
  case 500: console.log("Server Error 🔥"); break;
  default:  console.log("Unknown status");
}

Tip

Diagram

Loading diagram…

Use if/else for complex logic, switch for exact matches, ternary for one-liners

Topics in This Module