Learn how event delegation in JavaScript lets you use a single event listener to handle clicks on multiple child elements efficiently—ideal for dynamic UIs and better performance.
Martin Ferret
July 14, 2025
Have you ever added dozens of click
event listeners to buttons inside a list, only to realize there might be a better way?
That better way is called event delegation, and it can save you time, memory, and complexity.
Event delegation is a technique where you add a single event listener to a parent element, and use it to manage events triggered by its child elements.
Instead of writing:
buttons.forEach(btn => {
btn.addEventListener('click', handleClick);
});
You write:
document.querySelector('#list').addEventListener('click', handleClick);
This works because of event bubbling — when an event is triggered on a child element, it bubbles up through its ancestors.
Scenario | Event Delegation Advantage |
---|---|
Multiple similar elements | Use one listener on the parent |
Dynamically added elements | No need to reattach listeners |
Performance optimization | Fewer event listeners = better memory |
Cleaner code | Centralized logic, easier to maintain |
<div id="todo-list">
<button data-id="1">Delete Task 1</button>
<button data-id="2">Delete Task 2</button>
<button data-id="3">Delete Task 3</button>
</div>
const list = document.getElementById('todo-list');
list.addEventListener('click', function (event) {
if (event.target.tagName === 'BUTTON') {
const taskId = event.target.dataset.id;
console.log(`Deleting task ${taskId}`);
}
});
When you click any button, the console will show:
Deleting task 1
Deleting task 2
Deleting task 3
Only one event listener is used, and it works for all buttons.
Suppose you add a new button dynamically:
const newButton = document.createElement('button');
newButton.textContent = 'Delete Task 4';
newButton.dataset.id = '4';
list.appendChild(newButton);
🔥 You do not need to add a new event listener. The existing listener on the parent will still handle the event. This is one of the main benefits of event delegation.
Event delegation relies on two key mechanisms:
event.target
to determine which child element triggered the event.Example:
list.addEventListener('click', function (event) {
if (event.target.matches('button[data-id]')) {
const id = event.target.dataset.id;
// Perform action
}
});
You can also use event.target.closest()
if you're dealing with nested elements.
input
, blur
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