# Common questions

## Why would you use `onready var` versus regular `var`?
- `var` is assigned when the script instance is created, if this is a node then it might not be added to the tree yet, so you can't use `get_parent` and similar on it.
- `onready var` is a shortcut for assigning vars in `_ready()` and is assigned a value after a node and siblings enter the tree. Only useful for nodes.

[Reference](https://godotengine.org/qa/12000/is-there-any-reason-to-use-var-instead-of-onready-var)