Why Object-Oriented Programming Was Introduced - Objects and Classes

In the previous article, we examined the importance of software design, and how all software engineering principles have been defined to address issues rather than creating more complexity.

In this article, we will begin with one of the most significant programming paradigms known as Object Oriented Programming (OOP).

But before moving into definitions, let us examine the issue first.

🤯 The Problem

Imagine you are building a user system.

Without OOP:

const user1Name = "Ashay";

const user1Email = "[email protected]";



function loginUser1() {}

function logoutUser1() {}

Now imagine:

• 10 users


• 100 users


• admins


• customers


• sellers

Everything becomes:

• duplicated


• disconnected


• hard to manage

You have:

• data scattered everywhere


• behavior scattered everywhere

This is the core problem OOP tries to solve.

🧠 The Core Idea of OOP

OOP says:

"A real-world entity should keep its own data and behavior together."

Example:

A User should contain:

• its own properties (name, email)


• its own capabilities (login, logout)

That combination becomes an object.

✨ What is an Object REALLY?

An object is:

A self-contained unit of state + behavior.

State = data

Behavior = actions/functions

Example:

const user = {

  name: "Ashay",

  email: "[email protected]",



  login() {

    console.log(`${this.name} logged in`);

  }

};

Here:

This is the true meaning of an object.

Then Why Do We Need Classes?

Now imagine creating 10,000 users.

You DON'T want:

const user1 = { ... }

const user2 = { ... }

const user3 = { ... }

You need a reusable structure.

That reusable structure is a class.

What is a Class REALLY?

A class is:

A factory/template that defines what an object should contain.

Example:

class User {

  name: string;

  email: string;



  constructor(name: string, email: string) {

    this.name = name;

    this.email = email;

  }



  login() {

    console.log(`${this.name} logged in`);

  }

}

Now you can create objects easily:

const user1 = new User("Ashay","[email protected]");

const user2 = new User("Rahul","[email protected]");

Deep Understanding of new

This is VERY important.

When you do:

const user1 = new User(...)

new does several things internally:

1. Creates empty object {}
   


2. Connects object to class prototype


3. Binds this to new object


4. Runs the constructor


5. Returns object

💡 Important Mental Model

A class is NOT the actual thing.

It is only:

• definition


• structure


• contract

The object is the real runtime entity.

Example:

Common Beginner Mistake

People think:

class User {}

means “doing OOP”.

No.

Real OOP begins when you think:

• What responsibility belongs here?


• What data should this object own?


• What should be hidden?


• How should objects communicate?


• Who controls what?

That leads to:

• Encapsulation


• Abstraction


• Polymorphism


• Dependency Injection


• SOLID principles

which we’ll cover one by one.

⏭️ What's Next?

Now that we understand what OOP is and how classes and objects help organize state and behavior, an interesting question naturally arises especially for JavaScript developers.

If JavaScript already allows us to create objects using plain object literals and factory functions, why do we need classes at all?

Are classes simply syntactic sugar, or do they solve a different set of problems?

Before we dive into the core principles of OOP such as Encapsulation, Abstraction, Inheritance, and Polymorphism, we'll take a small detour to explore one of the most common debates in the JavaScript ecosystem:

Factory Functions vs Classes

We'll compare both approaches, understand their trade-offs, and discuss when each one makes sense in real-world applications.

Because before learning how to design good objects, it's worth understanding the different ways we can create them.