The reduce() method reduces an array of values down to just one value. The single value that is returned can be of any type.

reduce() is like the Swiss Army knife of array methods. While others like map() and filter() provide specific functionality, reduce() can be used to transform an input array into any output you desire, all while preserving the original array.

Syntax

const newValue = arr.reduce(function(accumulator, currentValue, index, array) {
  // Do stuff with accumulator and currentValue (index, array, and initialValue are optional)
}, initialValue);
  • newValue - the new number, array, string, or object that is returned
  • arr - the array being operated on
  • accumulator - the returned value of the previous iteration
  • currentValue - the current item in the array
  • index - the index of the current item
  • array - the original array on which reduce() was called
  • initialValue - a number, array, string, or object that serves as an initial value for the eventual output

Examples

ES5

var numbers = [1, 2, 3]; 

var sum = numbers.reduce(function(total, current) {
  return total + current;
}, 0);

console.log(numbers); // [1, 2, 3]
console.log(sum); // 6

ES6

const numbers = [1, 2, 3];

const sum = numbers.reduce((total, current) => {
  return total + current;
}, 0);

const sumOneLiner = numbers.reduce((total, current) => total + current, 0);

console.log(numbers); // [1, 2, 3]
console.log(sum); // 6
console.log(sumOneLiner); // 6

All About initialValue

initialValue Provided

The initialValue argument is optional. If provided, it will be used as the initial accumulator value (total) in the first call to the callback function:

const numbers = [2, 3, 4];
const product = numbers.reduce((total, current) => {
  return total * current;
}, 1);

console.log(product); // 24

Since the initialValue of 1 is provided after the callback function, the reduce() starts at the beginning of the array and sets the first element (2) as the current value (current). It then iterates through the rest of the array, updating the accumulator value and current value along the way.

initialValue Omitted

If initialValue is not provided, the iteration will start at the second element in the array (at index 1), with accumulator equal to the first element in the array and currentValue equal to the second element:

const numbers = [2, 3, 4];
const product = numbers.reduce((total, current) => {
  return total * current;
});

console.log(product);

In this example, no initialValue is provided, so reduce() sets the first element of the array as the accumulator value (total is equal to 2), and sets the second element of the array as the current value (currentValue is equal to 3). It then iterates through the rest of the array.

When reducing an array of strings:

const strings = ['one', 'two', 'three'];
const numberString = strings.reduce((acc, curr) => {
  return acc + ', ' + curr;
});

console.log(numberString); // "one, two, three"

While it's easy to omit the initialValue argument if your reduce() method will return a number or a simple string, you should include one if it will return an array or object.

Returning an Object

Transforming an array of strings into a single object that shows how many times each string appears in the array is simple. Just pass an empty object ({}) as the initialValue:

const pets = ["dog", "chicken", "cat", "dog", "chicken", "chicken", "rabbit"];

const petCounts = pets.reduce(function(obj, pet) {
  if (!obj[pet]) {
    // if the pet doesn't yet exist as a property of the accumulator object,
    //   add it as a property and set its count to 1
    obj[pet] = 1;
  } else {
    // pet exists, so increment its count
    obj[pet]++;
  }
  
  return obj; // return the modified object to be used as accumulator in the next iteration
}, {}); // initialize the accumulator as an empty object

console.log(petCounts);
/*
{
  dog: 2, 
  chicken: 3, 
  cat: 1, 
  rabbit: 1 
}
*/

Returning and Array

Generally, if you plan to return an array, map() is often a better option. It tells the compiler (and others reading your code) that every element in the original array will be transformed and returned as a new array of equal length.

On the other hand, reduce() indicates that all elements of the original array will get transformed into a new value. That new value could be an array, the length of which might be different than the original.

Say you have a shopping list as an array of strings, but you want to remove all of the foods that you don't like from the list. You could use filter() to filter out everything you don't like and map() to return a new array of strings, or you could just use reduce():

const shoppingList = ['apples', 'mangoes', 'onions', 'cereal', 'carrots', 'eggplants'];
const foodsIDontLike = ['onions', 'eggplants'];
const newShoppingList = shoppingList.reduce((arr, curr) => {
  if (!foodsIDontLike.includes(curr)) {
    arr.push(curr);
  }
  
  return arr;
}, []);

console.log(newShoppingList); // ["apples", "mangoes", "cereal", "carrots"]

That's all you need to know about the reduce() method. Like a Swiss Army knife, it's not always the best tool for the job. But you'll be glad to have it in your back pocket when you really need it.