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FAQ: How Do You Implement Bubble Sort in JavaScript?

FAQ

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How Do You Implement Bubble Sort in JavaScript?-Bubble Sort Algorithm Implementation

Bubble sort is a simple sorting algorithm that repeatedly steps through the list, compares adjacent elements, and swaps them if they are in the wrong order. The pass through the list is repeated until the list is sorted. The algorithm, which is a comparison sort, is named for the way smaller elements “bubble” to the top of the list (beginning of the array) as the sorting process progresses. Here is how you can implement Bubble Sort in JavaScript:

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This function bubbleSort takes an array as input and sorts it in ascending order. The swapped flag is used to check if any elements were swapped during a pass through the array; if no elements were swapped, the array is already sorted, and the algorithm can terminate early. This makes the bubble sort adaptive for cases where the array is already partially sorted.

How Do You Implement Bubble Sort in JavaScript?

Keep in mind that Bubble Sort is not the most efficient sorting algorithm for large data sets due to its average and worst-case time complexity of , where is the number of items being sorted.


Bubble Sort Code line-by-line Explanation – How Do You Implement Bubble Sort in JavaScript?

Bubble Sort JavaScript Implementation Explanation

Line 1: Defines the bubbleSort function, which takes an array as its argument. This is the array that the function will sort.

function bubbleSort(array) {

Line 2: Initializes a variable n to the length of the array. This variable will be used to control the iterations of the sort, specifically to reduce the number of elements to check after each pass since the largest elements bubble to the end of the array.

    let n = array.length;

Line 3: Declares a variable swapped without initializing it. This variable is a flag used to check if any elements were swapped during a pass through the array. If no swaps are made, the array is considered sorted, and the loop can be terminated early.

    let swapped;

Line 4: Begins a do-while loop. This loop will run at least once and continue running as long as swapped is true.

    do {

Line 5: Sets swapped to false at the beginning of each loop iteration. It’s used to detect if swaps have occurred in the current iteration. If no swaps happen, the array is sorted, and the loop will end.

        swapped = false;

Line 6: Starts a for loop from 1 to n. This loop goes through the array to compare each element with the one before it.

        for (let i = 1; i < n; i++) {

Line 7: This if statement checks if the current element is less than the previous element. If true, it means they are in the wrong order and need to be swapped.

            if (array[i - 1] > array[i]) {

Line 8: Declares a temporary variable temp and stores the value of the previous element (array[i - 1]). This temporary storage is necessary for swapping values.

                let temp = array[i - 1];

Line 9: Assigns the value of the current element to the previous element’s position, effectively moving the smaller value forward.

                array[i - 1] = array[i];

Line 10: Completes the swap by assigning the value stored in temp to the current position, moving the larger value back.

                array[i] = temp;

Line 11: Sets swapped to true, indicating that a swap occurred. This means another pass through the array is necessary.

                swapped = true;

Line 12-13: After each full pass through the part of the array that might be out of order, the end of the array is sorted (the largest elements have “bubbled up” to the end), so n is decremented to avoid unnecessary comparisons in future passes.

        }
        // Reduce n by 1 since the last element is already in place
        n--;

Line 14: Ends the do-while loop. The loop condition checks if swapped is true. If it is, the array wasn’t fully sorted during the last pass, and the loop needs to run again.

    } while (swapped);

Line 15: Once the loop has finished (no swaps occurred in the last pass), the function returns the sorted array.

    return array;

Line 16: Ends the definition of the bubbleSort function.

}

This function sorts the array in place and will modify the original array that was passed in. Each element is compared to its neighbor, and they are swapped if out of order, ensuring that after each full pass through the list, the next largest element is in its final position.

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About the Author: Bernard Aybout (Virii8)

Avatar of Bernard Aybout (Virii8)
I am a dedicated technology enthusiast with over 45 years of life experience, passionate about computers, AI, emerging technologies, and their real-world impact. As the founder of my personal blog, MiltonMarketing.com, I explore how AI, health tech, engineering, finance, and other advanced fields leverage innovation—not as a replacement for human expertise, but as a tool to enhance it. My focus is on bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and practical applications, ensuring ethical, responsible, and transformative use across industries. MiltonMarketing.com is more than just a tech blog—it's a growing platform for expert insights. We welcome qualified writers and industry professionals from IT, AI, healthcare, engineering, HVAC, automotive, finance, and beyond to contribute their knowledge. If you have expertise to share in how AI and technology shape industries while complementing human skills, join us in driving meaningful conversations about the future of innovation. 🚀