How to Sort an Array Alphabetically

Sorting arrays alphabetically is a common task. TypeScript uses the sort() method on arrays, but it can be a bit tricky because it sorts in place and, by default, converts elements to strings for comparison.

Here’s how I handle sorting for both simple string arrays and arrays of objects.

Sorting an Array of Strings

For a simple array of strings, you can use sort() with localeCompare() to ensure correct alphabetical sorting across different languages and locales.

I always use toSorted() instead of sort() because it returns a new sorted array, leaving the original array unchanged. This avoids unexpected side effects.

const fruits = ["Banana", "Orange", "Apple", "Mango"];
const sortedFruits = fruits.toSorted((a, b) => a.localeCompare(b));

console.log(sortedFruits);
// Output: ["Apple", "Banana", "Mango", "Orange"]

Sorting an Array of Objects

When sorting an array of objects by a string property, the approach is similar. You provide a custom comparison function to toSorted() that accesses the property and uses localeCompare().

Here’s how I sort an array of users by their name.

type User = {
    id: number;
    name: string;
};

const users: User[] = [
    { id: 1, name: "John" },
    { id: 2, name: "Alice" },
    { id: 3, name: "Bob" }
];

const sortedUsers = users.toSorted((a, b) => a.name.localeCompare(b.name));

console.log(sortedUsers);
// Output:
// [
//   { id: 2, name: 'Alice' },
//   { id: 3, name: 'Bob' },
//   { id: 1, name: 'John' }
// ]

Using toSorted() with localeCompare() is my standard way to handle alphabetical sorting. It’s predictable and prevents bugs that can come from modifying arrays directly.