What is the function of the "===" operator in JavaScript?

The "===" operator in JavaScript, commonly known as the strict equality operator, is specifically designed to check for both the value and the type of the operands being compared. This means that it does not perform any type conversion; the values must be of the same type to be considered equal. For example, if you evaluate 5 === '5', this will return false because one is a number and the other is a string.

This strict comparison is crucial in scenarios where the data type matters; for instance, when validating input types or in conditions where the precise type and value are critical for functionality. As opposed to the loose equality operator (==), which might coerce values to a common type before comparison, the strict equality operator ensures that both value and type must match exactly for a true result.

This feature of the "===" operator helps in writing more predictable and bug-resistant code, as it avoids the pitfalls associated with type coercion that can lead to unexpected behavior in programs.