Sorting a JSON object in JavaScript

In JavaScript, objects themselves cannot be sorted since their properties don't have a guaranteed order. However, we can extract the values from a JSON object and sort them into an array.

Suppose we have an object like this:

const obj = {
   key1: 56,
   key2: 67,
   key3: 23,
   key4: 11,
   key5: 88
};

We need to write a JavaScript function that takes this object and returns a sorted array of its values:

const arr = [11, 23, 56, 67, 88];

Method 1: Using Object.values() (Recommended)

The simplest approach uses Object.values() to extract values directly:

const obj = {
   key1: 56,
   key2: 67,
   key3: 23,
   key4: 11,
   key5: 88
};

const sortObjectValues = (obj) => {
   return Object.values(obj).sort((a, b) => a - b);
};

console.log(sortObjectValues(obj));

[ 11, 23, 56, 67, 88 ]

Method 2: Using Object.keys() and map()

This method first gets the keys, then maps them to their values:

const obj = {
   key1: 56,
   key2: 67,
   key3: 23,
   key4: 11,
   key5: 88
};

const sortObject = obj => {
   const arr = Object.keys(obj).map(key => obj[key]);
   return arr.sort((a, b) => a - b);
};

console.log(sortObject(obj));

[ 11, 23, 56, 67, 88 ]

Sorting in Descending Order

To sort values in descending order, reverse the comparison:

const obj = {
   key1: 56,
   key2: 67,
   key3: 23,
   key4: 11,
   key5: 88
};

const sortDescending = (obj) => {
   return Object.values(obj).sort((a, b) => b - a);
};

console.log(sortDescending(obj));

[ 88, 67, 56, 23, 11 ]

Comparison

Conclusion

Use Object.values() for cleaner, more readable code when extracting and sorting object values. The Object.keys() approach works well for older browser support.