When you assign a primitive value to a variable, does the variable store the actual value or a reference to it?

When you assign a primitive value to a variable in JavaScript, the variable stores the actual value, not a reference to it. Primitives in JavaScript are immutable, which means that their values cannot be changed after they are created. As a result, when you assign a primitive value to a variable, you are directly storing that value in the variable.

Here's a simple example:

let num = 42;  // Assigning a primitive value (number) to the variable 'num'

In this case, the variable `num` holds the actual value `42`. If you were to use `num` in an expression or pass it to a function, you are working directly with the value `42`.

This is different from objects in JavaScript, where assigning a variable to an object involves storing a reference to the object. Objects are mutable, and changes made through one reference affect the underlying object.

Understanding this distinction between primitives and objects is important for grasping concepts like mutability, pass-by-value, and pass-by-reference in JavaScript.