Introduction to Javascript
• JavaScript is a lightweight programming language commonly used by web developers to
add dynamic interactions to web pages, applications, servers, and even games.
• It works seamlessly alongside HTML and CSS, complementing CSS in formatting HTML
elements while providing user interaction, a capability that CSS alone lacks.
• JavaScript’s widespread applications in web, mobile app, and game development make
it a valuable language to learn.
• It was a general-purpose scripting language to ensure web pages’ interoperability across
different browsers and devices.
• JavaScript has continued to grow alongside new browsers like Mozilla Firefox and
Google Chrome since then. The latter even started developing the first modern
JavaScript engine, called V8, which compiles bytecode into native machine code.
• Today, JavaScript has plenty of frameworks and libraries to simplify complex projects,
such as AngularJS, jQuery, and ReactJS.
• While it caters to web-based programs the most, JavaScript programming features have
other implementations in different areas. The following are several basic uses of
JavaScript.
1. Web and Mobile Apps
The development of JavaScript frameworks, consisting of JavaScript code libraries, allows
developers to use pre-written JavaScript code in their projects. It saves them time and effort from
having to code programming features from scratch. Each JavaScript framework has features that
aim to simplify the development and debugging process. For example, front-end JavaScript
frameworks like jQuery and ReactJS improve design efficiency. They allow developers to reuse and
update code components without affecting each other, function or value-wise.
Meanwhile, mobile application development frameworks such as Cordova and Titanium make it
possible to create native or hybrid applications.
The implementation of JavaScript code in Node.js also plays an important role in web development.
Node.js can reduce server response time due to its single-threaded nature and non-blocking
architecture and omit delays.
Node.js is also lightweight enough to serve as a scalable tool for microservices, allowing you to
develop a single app comprising small services with individual processes.
2. Building Web Servers and Server Applications
• Through Node.js, JavaScript lets developers build web servers and back-end
infrastructure, saving you time and effort in web server creation.
• The built-in HTTP module allows you to develop a basic HTTP server that displays plain
text when users access a web page.
• You can use either the Node.js own web server, Node-OS, or third-party ones like
Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) and Apache to handle the HTTP requests.
• Keep in mind that Node-OS works best on the Linux operating systems since it’s built on
top of the Linux kernel.
3. Interactive Behavior on Websites
• One of JavaScript’s core functions is adding dynamicity to web pages. This includes displaying
animations, modifying text visibility, and creating dropdown menus. While you can use only
HTML and CSS code to build a website, it will only have a static display.
• With JavaScript, a user can interact with web pages and have a better browsing experience.
Additionally, JavaScript lets you change HTML content and attribute values without reloading the
web page first. This is because JavaScript supports the following data types:
String, Number, Boolean, BigInt, Null, Undefined ‒ includes declared but not assigned variables.
Symbol ‒ provides unique identifiers for objects.
Object ‒ for complex data structures written with curly braces. For example, {item:”Book”,
information:”biography”}.
• With JavaScript, you can also improve users’ web browsing experience using cookies.
Creating, reading, and deleting cookies in JavaScript requires the document.cookie
property, which functions as the getter and setter of the cookies’ values.
4. Game Development
• JavaScript can help you build a game if used with HTML5 and an Application
Programming Interface (API) like WebGL.
• Plenty of JavaScript-based game engines like Phaser, GDevelop, and Kiwi.js are available
for rendering graphics, code recycling, and cross-platform applications.
• Some of the games made with JavaScript game engines include Angry Birds, The
Wizard, and 2048.
What Makes JavaScript Great?
JavaScript has a number of advantages that make it a better choice than its competitors. The
following are several benefits of using JavaScript:
Simplicity ‒ having a simple structure makes JavaScript easier to learn and implement, and it also
runs faster than some other languages. Errors are also easy to spot and correct.
Speed ‒ JavaScript executes scripts directly within the web browser without connecting to a server
first or needing a compiler. Additionally, most major browsers allow JavaScript to compile code
during program execution.
Increased interactivity − You can create interfaces that react when the user hovers over
them with a mouse or activates them via the keyboard.
Versatility ‒ JavaScript is compatible with other languages like PHP, Perl, and Java. It also makes
data science and machine learning accessible to developers.
Popularity ‒ plenty of resources and forums are available to help beginners with limited technical
skills and knowledge of JavaScript.
Server load ‒ another perk of operating on the client-side is that JavaScript reduces the requests
sent to the server. Data validation can be done via the web browser, and updates only apply to
certain web page sections.
Updates ‒ JavaScript development team and ECMA International continuously update and create
What Are JavaScript’s Weaknesses?
• Like any other programming language, JavaScript has several limits you need to
consider. The following are some of the disadvantages of using JavaScript:
• Browser compatibility ‒ different web browsers interpret JavaScript code differently,
causing inconsistency. Therefore, you should test your JavaScript script in all popular
web browsers, including their older versions, to avoid harming the user experience.
• Security ‒ JavaScript code that runs on the client-side is vulnerable to exploitation by
irresponsible users.
• Debugging ‒ while some HTML editors support debugging, they’re less efficient than
other editors. Since browsers don’t show any warning for errors, finding the issue may
be challenging.
JavaScript Development Tools
To make our life simpler, various vendors have come up with very nice JavaScript editing
tools. Some of them are listed here −
Microsoft FrontPage − Microsoft has developed a popular HTML editor called FrontPage.
FrontPage also provides web developers with a number of JavaScript tools to assist in the
creation of interactive websites.
Macromedia Dreamweaver MX − Macromedia Dreamweaver MX is a very popular HTML
and JavaScript editor in the professional web development crowd. It provides several
handy prebuilt JavaScript components, integrates well with databases, and conforms to
new standards such as XHTML and XML.
Macromedia HomeSite 5 − HomeSite 5 is a well-liked HTML and JavaScript editor from
Macromedia that can be used to manage personal websites effectively.
