It is recommended to use a variable only after it is defined as it might produce errors at runtime.

In JavaScript, prior to ES6, variable and function declarations are hoisted to the top of a scope, so it's possible to use identifiers before their formal declarations in code. This can be confusing and some believe it is best to always declare variables and functions before using them.

In ES6, block-level bindings (let and const) introduce a "temporal dead zone" where a ReferenceError will be thrown with any attempt to access the variable before its declaration.

Bad Practice

alert(a);
var a = 10;

f();
function f() {}

function g() {
    return b;
}
var b = 1;

{
    alert(c);
    let c = 1;
}

Recommended

var a;
a = 10;
alert(a);

function f() {}
f(1);

var b = 1;
function g() {
    return b;
}

{
    let c;
    c++;
}