Lodash _.stubObject() Method

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll use Lodash’s _.stubObject() as a small factory that returns fresh empty objects—ideal for defaults, fallbacks, and functional callbacks.

What Is _.stubObject()?

_.stubObject is a function with no parameters that returns an empty object. Call it as _.stubObject() when you need {} right now, or pass _.stubObject (without parentheses) when another API wants a function that produces empty objects—similar to writing () => ({}).

It sits in Lodash’s stub helper family alongside _.stubArray() and _.stubFalse()—small building blocks for readable functional code.

📝 Syntax

Invoke with no arguments:

_.stubObject()

Syntax Rules

• _.stubObject — the function reference (pass to callbacks).
• _.stubObject() — call it to get {} immediately.
• Fresh objects — each call returns a new empty object instance.
• Zero args — ignores any arguments if callers pass them anyway.
• No keys — Object.keys(_.stubObject()).length === 0.

import stubObject from "lodash/stubObject";



stubObject();

// {}

Examples Gallery

Practical _.stubObject() patterns with copy-ready code, sample output, and interactive Try It Yourself labs.

const empty = _.stubObject();



console.log(empty);

console.log(typeof empty);

console.log(Object.keys(empty).length);

// {}

// "object"

// 0

{}

"object"

0

const a = _.stubObject();

const b = _.stubObject();



a.role = "admin";



console.log(a);

console.log(b);

console.log(a === b);

// { role: "admin" }

// {}

// false

{ role: 'admin' }

{}

false

function processOptions(options = _.stubObject()) {

  return Object.keys(options).length;

}



console.log(processOptions());

console.log(processOptions({ theme: "dark", lang: "en" }));

// 0

// 2

0

2

function buildConfig(overrides = _.stubObject()) {

  const defaults = { theme: "light", lang: "en" };

  return _.assign({}, defaults, overrides);

}



console.log(buildConfig({ theme: "dark" }));

console.log(buildConfig());

// { theme: "dark", lang: "en" }

// { theme: "light", lang: "en" }

{ theme: 'dark', lang: 'en' }

{ theme: 'light', lang: 'en' }

const user = {

  id: "user_123",

  name: "Jane Doe",

  profile: _.stubObject()

};



user.profile.bio = "Lodash learner";



console.log(user.profile);

// { bio: "Lodash learner" }

{ bio: 'Lodash learner' }

// Immediate empty object

console.log(_.stubObject());



// ES default — also common

function fn(x = {}) { return x; }



// Same reference every call — caution if mutating

const shared = _.constant({});

console.log(shared() === shared());



// Arrow equivalent of stubObject

console.log((() => ({}))() instanceof Object);

// true for all {} producers

{}

true

true

📝 Notes

• Returns a plain object—not an array and not null.
• Each _.stubObject() call creates a separate {}—unlike _.constant({}).
• Pass _.stubObject without parentheses when an API expects a zero-arg producer function.
• return meta || _.stubObject() treats empty object as truthy—use nullish coalescing if {} should be preserved.
• Part of the stub helper family—next: _.stubString().
• Previous in the series: _.stubFalse().

💡 Best Practices