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get()

get<T>(object, path, defaultValue?): T | undefined

Gets the value at path of object with optional default.

note

Handles null/undefined objects and intermediate properties safely.

Type Parameters​

T: T = any​

The type of the default value and return type.

Parameters​

object: any​

The object to query.

path: string | (string | number | symbol)[]​

Property path as dot notation string or array of keys (string, number, or symbol).

defaultValue?: T​

Value returned if resolved value is undefined.

Returns: T | undefined​

The resolved value or defaultValue.

See Also​

set

Since​

2.0.0

Note​

Supports bracket notation for arrays (e.g., 'items[0].name').

Note​

Blocks access to proto, constructor, and prototype for security.

Performance​

O(m) time where m is path length.

Also known as​

get (Lodash, es-toolkit, Radashi, Effect) · path (Ramda) · pathOr (Remeda) · ❌ (Modern Dash, Antfu)

Example​

const obj = { a: { b: { c: 3 } } };

get(obj, 'a.b.c');            // => 3
get(obj, 'a.b.d');            // => undefined
get(obj, 'a.b.d', 'default'); // => 'default'
get(obj, ['a', 'b', 'c']);    // => 3

const data = { items: [{ name: 'first' }] };
get(data, 'items[0].name');   // => 'first'

get(null, 'any.path', 'safe'); // => 'safe'
get({}, '__proto__');          // => undefined

How it works?​

Safely retrieves a value at a nested path with optional default.

Path Formats​

Default Value​

Null Safety​

Use Cases​

Access nested data safely 📌​

Retrieve a deeply nested value without throwing "cannot read property of undefined". Critical for accessing API response data.

// Safe access: returns undefined if path doesn't exist
const city = get(user, 'address.shipping.city');

Provide default fallback​

Return a default value if the resolved path is undefined or null. Essential for UI rendering to prevent blank states.

const theme = get(config, 'ui.theme.color', 'blue');

Access array elements​

Retrieve items from nested arrays using dot notation. Useful for parsing JSON structures with lists.

const firstTag = get(post, 'tags[0].name');

Read i18n translation keys​

Retrieve translation strings from deeply nested locale objects. Essential for internationalization systems with namespaced translation keys.

const translations = {
  en: { auth: { login: { title: "Sign In", error: "Invalid credentials" } } },
  fr: { auth: { login: { title: "Connexion", error: "Identifiants invalides" } } },
};

const t = (key: string, locale = "en") =>
  get(translations, `${locale}.${key}`, key);

t("auth.login.title"); // => "Sign In"
t("auth.login.title", "fr"); // => "Connexion"
t("auth.signup.title"); // => "auth.signup.title" (fallback to key)

Extract data from webhook payloads​

Safely extract values from deeply nested third-party webhook payloads. Critical for Stripe, GitHub, Slack, and other webhook integrations where structure varies.

// Stripe webhook payload — deeply nested
const stripeEvent = {
  type: "checkout.session.completed",
  data: {
    object: {
      customer_details: { email: "user@example.com", name: "Alice" },
      amount_total: 4999,
      payment_intent: { charges: { data: [{ receipt_url: "https://..." }] } },
    },
  },
};

const email = get(stripeEvent, "data.object.customer_details.email");
// => "user@example.com"

const receiptUrl = get(stripeEvent, "data.object.payment_intent.charges.data[0].receipt_url");
// => "https://..."

const refundReason = get(stripeEvent, "data.object.refund.reason", "none");
// => "none" (path doesn't exist, fallback used)

Read design token values from a nested theme​

Access deeply nested design tokens from a theme configuration. Essential for design systems with multi-level token hierarchies.

const theme = {
  colors: {
    primary: { 50: "#eff6ff", 500: "#3b82f6", 900: "#1e3a5f" },
    semantic: { success: "#22c55e", error: "#ef4444" },
  },
  spacing: { xs: "4px", sm: "8px", md: "16px" },
};

const primaryColor = get(theme, "colors.primary.500", "#000");
// => "#3b82f6"

const errorColor = get(theme, "colors.semantic.error", "#ff0000");
// => "#ef4444"

const missing = get(theme, "colors.accent.500", "#6b7280");
// => "#6b7280" (fallback)

Access tree node by path in a file explorer​

Navigate a nested tree structure using a dot-separated path. Essential for file explorers, org charts, and nested menu components.

const fileTree = {
  src: {
    components: {
      Button: { type: "file", size: 1200 },
      Dialog: { type: "file", size: 3400 },
    },
    utils: {
      helpers: { type: "file", size: 800 },
    },
  },
  tests: {
    unit: { type: "directory", children: 15 },
  },
};

const dialogNode = get(fileTree, "src.components.Dialog");
// => { type: "file", size: 3400 }

const missingNode = get(fileTree, "src.hooks.useAuth", { type: "unknown" });
// => { type: "unknown" } (fallback)

Read stepper configuration by step index​

Access step-specific configuration from a nested stepper definition. Perfect for multi-step forms and wizard components.

const wizardConfig = {
  steps: [
    { label: "Account", fields: ["email", "password"], validation: { required: true } },
    { label: "Profile", fields: ["name", "avatar"], validation: { required: false } },
    { label: "Confirm", fields: [], validation: { required: true } },
  ],
};

const currentStepLabel = get(wizardConfig, `steps[${currentStep}].label`, "Unknown");
const isRequired = get(wizardConfig, `steps[${currentStep}].validation.required`, false);

Extract analytics event properties safely​

Safely extract nested properties from analytics event payloads. Critical for tracking pipelines where event shapes vary.

const trackEvent = (event: unknown) => {
  analytics.send({
    action: get(event, "action", "unknown"),
    category: get(event, "metadata.category", "uncategorized"),
    label: get(event, "metadata.label"),
    value: get(event, "metadata.value", 0),
    userId: get(event, "user.id"),
  });
};