What role do JavaScript objects play in web development?

JavaScript objects play a crucial role in web development by allowing for the storage and manipulation of complex data. An object in JavaScript is a collection of key-value pairs, where each key is a string and the value can be any data type, including other objects, arrays, functions, and more. This versatility enables developers to create structured and organized data representations that can closely mimic real-world entities, making it easier to manage and manipulate data in applications.

For instance, when developing a web application, a developer might create an object to represent a user with properties such as name, email, and age, alongside methods that can perform actions related to that user. This encapsulation of data and behavior increases the modularity and reusability of code, which are essential principles in web development.

Moreover, objects support various functionalities like inheritance and encapsulation, which are critical in building complex applications efficiently. Hence, their ability to accommodate complex data structures and facilitate sophisticated interactions is why they are foundational to JavaScript and web development as a whole.