What does "while" mean in programming?

while is one of the most common terms in software development. This guide explains what it means, how it is used in practice, and why it matters, with real examples from the developer world.

Definition

A keyword that begins a loop that continues executing as long as its condition is true. If the condition is false from the start, the body never runs.

Example

"while (queue.length > 0) { process(queue.shift()); }"

Related terms

loop
for
break
condition

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