JavaScript Bitwise Operators

Subject: JavaScript

Bitwise operators in JavaScript perform operations on the binary representations of numbers. These operators work at the bit level and are often used in low-level programming, graphics, cryptography, and performance-critical code.

What Are Bits?

Every number is stored in binary form (composed of 0s and 1s). Bitwise operators allow direct manipulation of these individual bits. For example:

  • 5 in binary → 0101
  • 3 in binary → 0011

List of Bitwise Operators

OperatorNameDescription
&ANDSets each bit to 1 if both bits are 1
``OR
^XORSets each bit to 1 if only one bit is 1
~NOTInverts all bits
<<Left ShiftShifts bits to the left
>>Right ShiftShifts bits to the right
>>>Zero-fill Right ShiftShifts bits right and fills with 0

Example: Bitwise Operations

Explanation of Each Operator

Bitwise AND (&)

Bitwise OR (|)

Bitwise XOR (^)

Bitwise NOT (~)

Left Shift (<<)

Right Shift (>>)

Zero-fill Right Shift (>>>)

Use Cases

  • File permission flags and masking
  • Encryption and compression algorithms
  • Optimized math operations
  • Bit-level image or pixel manipulation

Key Takeaways

  • Bitwise operators work directly on 32-bit binary numbers.
  • Use &, |, ^ to compare individual bits.
  • ~ flips bits, and shift operators (<<, >>, >>>) move bits.
  • Common in low-level tasks like performance tuning, cryptography, and graphics.
Next : Ternary Operator