JavaScript remains the most demanded and accessible programming language all over the world. All we can see is that it is possible to create a variety of projects using it. What is JavaScript used for? This should be discussed in more detail, and this post is just about that.

Research proves the dominant place of this language on earth. Even developers whose primary responsibility is the back-end are still more likely to research questions about JavaScript than any other programming language. 

Many of them admit that during the courses and other education, for their final projects they had to get to a basic level of proficiency with JavaScript. 

What is JavaScript?

What can JavaScript do? JavaScript is a text-based programming language that is used on the client-side and server-side as well. It allows developers to make web pages interactive. Unlike CSS and HTML that give structure and style to web pages, JavaScript gives web pages interactive elements aimed to engage users. 

Why do we need JavaScript?

If you think that you do not encounter JavaScript in your daily life, then you are most likely mistaken, as you probably use the search box on Amazon or refresh your Twitter feed. Would you like more examples? Let’s quickly dive into some bright cases.

Which market leaders use JavaScript?

  • Facebook. This social media giant applies JavaScript in their projects. Facebook actually was responsible for creating React – one of the most popular JavaScript libraries. 
  • Uber. The widely known company needs to handle millions of requests every day. It requires scalable technologies that have a fast speed of iteration. Uber uses Node.Js and JavaScript to handle driver requests on its platform more efficiently.
  • PayPal. The company has been using this programming language since the very beginning as it is fundamental to all websites. By the way, PayPal has also experimented with Node.JS to power their web apps.
  • Walmart. Its web app was initially powered by Java, however, as the site started to grow, the company realized it needed something more efficient. Today, the site that renders at Walmart.com uses Node.js to serve web pages.
  • Netflix. The company started to use Java for its web app, but its engineers decided it took too long to push changes to their site using Java. That is why they decided to look for another technology to power the site. Now Netflix is powered using the Node.Js framework.

Applying JavaScript, you improve the user experience of the web page by converting it from static to interactive. JavaScript programming language is designed to make web development easier and more attractive. 

In most cases, it is used to generate responsive, interactive elements for web pages, enhancing the user experience. However, there are many cases of its appliance that should also get attention.

What Is JavaScript Used For?

According to the numerous programming language rankings, JavaScript to be one of the top ten most demanded languages. 

How is JavaScript used? Today this language is used in many applications out there.

For a long time, JS has been applied for client-side programming. Therefore, if you see a button, text, or any object moving on a web page, it is most likely a result of JavaScript code. So now, it’s high time to learn about some uses of JavaScript:

What are the things you can build with JavaScript?

You probably ask “What can I do with JavaScript”? Here is some ideas to consider:

1. Websites

This is the most evident case, for sure. JavaScript was invented in 1995 by Brendan Eich with the aim to add behavior and interactivity to otherwise static sites. Now it’s also used for that. Many modern remotely web sites are running JavaScript on some level.

2. Web applications

Personal computers and popular browsers have continued to improve. Web applications also have all premises to be created. 

Google Maps is a vivid example. In order to explore a map in this app, you only need to click and drag. You see a part of the map that is less detailed. It then fills itself in. This is about how JavaScript works behind the scenes.

3. Server apps

A few years ago, JavaScript made its way from the browser and into the server with the advent of NodeJS. Now Node is adopted by many global companies, as a key part of their back-end infrastructure.

4. Presentations

JavaScript is also widely used for creating presentations as websites. With the help of the RevealJS library, this becomes easy if you’re already familiar with HTML and CSS. If not, you may still utilize slides.com that uses RevealJS to generate a web-based slide deck for you.

5. Web servers

It’s possible to create a web server in even about 10 lines of code. But of course, it is better to build more reliable and powerful servers using node or the standard server app framework expressJS. Many apps using Node are actually built using the MEAN stack (Mongo, Express, Angular, Node). Its core component is Express.

6. Art

The canvas element is one of the new features in the HTML5 specification. It allows the browser to render three-dimensional shapes. This positions the browser as a new medium for digital art projects.

7. Games

In the past, the browser was not a traditional games platform. However, now it is a robust venue for games. Moreover, with the HTML5 canvas’ addition, the level of complexity that is possible in browser-based games has extremely increased. What do you think about browser games aimed to teach you programming?

8. Mobile apps

Creating applications for non-web contexts is another powerful thing you can do with JavaScript. Nowadays, mobile devices are the most popular way to access the internet. It means that all the websites should be responsive. 

As we know, mobile apps come in two major flavors: Apple and Android. They are written in completely different languages. And if you want to build and support a product for mobile devices and the web, you will logically need three times as many software developers.

Luckily, a “write it once” solution does exist. Recently, React Native has come on the scene. Now it promises to become the major player in the cross-platform space.

9. Quadcopters

Some commercial flying robots are outfitted with a simple OS that makes it possible to install NodeJS. So, you can program a quadcopter using JavaScript.

What are the benefits of learning JavaScript?

Let’s briefly remind the reasons we should consider learning Javascript:

  1. This is the most popular programming language. The popularity of JavaScript makes it a programmer’s great choice. It happened because this language was able to sneak into browsers when it was unpopular.
  2. It is in the browser. JavaScript is in your browser anyway. You can do any stuff in the browser without worrying about setting up environments and code editors and downloading compilers.
  3. JavaScript is everywhere. It’s used to build performant native apps, cross-platform desktop apps, it’s used to power smart TVs, etc. But we will talk about this a little below.
  4. It’s уasy to learn. JavaScript is comparatively easier to learn than other languages. You should go through the curriculum, and there is a big community that is up for helping you out.
  5. 5. JavaScript jobs abundance. Now it’s the most demanded technology and there’s a lack of good JavaScript developers in the market. By learning JavaScript, you have a good chance to get a good job.
  6. You may create visual effects. By learning to animate things in the browser, you can become a design genius.
  7. Interactions with users. JavaScript equips you with the skills to create amazing user interaction experiences.

Is it safe to use JavaScript?

If you are careful, it is safe. If you need any script for your website, then this is the only option. Web developers cannot really avoid using JavaScript unless they are making a completely static website.

If you want to know more about the most popular programming languages in the world, you may read and try the following sources: 

Best JavaScript Online Course

1. The Complete JavaScript Course 2021: Build Real Projects (Udemy)

This is truly a completely hands-on and very comprehensive course to learn JavaScript from scratch. The course covers modern Javascript syntax and also includes projects, challenges, and final exams. It also looks good for intermediate developers who have worked in JavaScript before.

2. JavaScript: The Advanced Concepts

The comprehensive course for JavaScript and web developers that was designed to teach them advanced JavaScript practices. Its author – Andrei Neagoie, the Udemy instructor and author of The Complete Web Developer in 2021: Zero to Mastery courses.

3. JavaScript – The Complete Guide 2021

Another useful course to learn JavaScript on Udemy that was designed by the famous instructor, Maximilian Schwarzmuller (the author of The React Complete Guide and The Angular guide course). This knowledge source is one of the most up-to-date courses to learn JavaScript in 2021.

4. JavaScript: Getting Started

This course will teach you how to explore the basics of the language, learning from plenty of JavaScript examples, and will tell about the types of apps that can be built with JavaScript, and the platforms they’ll run on. You’ll also put your JavaScript knowledge to work and modify a modern, responsive web page.

5. The Complete Guide to Modern JavaScript

One more advanced JavaScript course that differs from the other courses on this list as it is a text-based, interactive online course designed by Educative. With its help, you will be able to execute JavaScript code right from your browser, without any setup which makes learning really easy and accelerated.

6. Javascript30

This is a free course. With its help, you will earn how to build Build 30 things in 30 days with 30 tutorials. Without frameworks, compilers, and libraries. This is also one of the highest recommended courses. It is useful if you prefer time-based learning. 

7. Build 15 JavaScript Projects

Build 15 JavaScript Projects is an 8-hour project-based course that will assist you to learn JavaScript online. The best thing about this course is that it’s completely free. You will build 15 projects using plain JavaScript without frameworks. The course is created by John Smilga.

List of the Best JavaScript Tutorials

Conclusion

JavaScript is a great technology to use on the web. It is very versatile and it is not hard to learn. This programming language plays nicely with other web technologies, such as HTML and CSS. It can even interact with plugins such as Flash. 

Why use JavaScript over other programming languages? 

  • It is the only language native to the web browser.
  • It is the most popular programming language.
  • It’s fun stuff to learn.
  • There’s a low threshold to get started.

The speed and small memory footprint of JavaScript bring up more and more uses for it. Its future is wide open. What do you think about this programming language? Do you have other examples of what JavaScript is used for? Please, share your thoughts!