string - When to use double or single quotes in JavaScript?

console.log("double"); vs console.log('single');

I see more and more JavaScript libraries out there using single quotes when handling strings. What are the reasons to use one over the other? I thought they're pretty much interchangeable.

Answer

The most likely reason for use of single vs double in different libraries is programmer preference and/or API consistency. Other than being consistent, use whichever best suits the string.

Using the other type of quote as a literal:

alert('Say "Hello"');
alert("Say 'Hello'");

This can get complicated:

alert("It's \"game\" time.");
alert('It\'s "game" time.');

Another option, new in ES6, are Template literals which use the back-tick character:

alert(`Use "double" and 'single' quotes in the same string`);
alert(`Escape the \` back-tick character and the \${ dollar-brace sequence in a string`);

Template literals offer a clean syntax for: variable interpolation, multi-line strings, and more.

Note that JSON is formally specified to use double quotes, which may be worth considering depending on system requirements.