What is the difference between Object.create() and Object.assign()?

Object.create() and Object.assign() serve completely different purposes:

Object.create() creates a new object with a specified prototype:

     const proto = { greet() { console.log('Hello'); } };
     const obj = Object.create(proto);
     obj.greet(); // 'Hello'
     console.log(Object.getPrototypeOf(obj) === proto); // true
     

Object.assign() copies properties from source objects to a target object:

     const target = { a: 1 };
     const source = { b: 2, c: 3 };
     Object.assign(target, source);
     console.log(target); // { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 }
     

Key differences:

| Object.create() | Object.assign() |
|----------------|-----------------|
| Creates new object | Modifies existing object |
| Sets prototype chain | Copies own properties |
| For inheritance | For composition/merging |
| Returns new object | Returns modified target |

     // Object.create with properties
     const obj1 = Object.create(proto, {
       name: { value: 'John', writable: true }
     });

     // Object.assign with multiple sources
     const merged = Object.assign({}, source1, source2, source3);