JS stands for JavaScript. It is a lightweight, cross-platform, and interpreted scripting language. It is well-known for the development of web pages, and many non-browser environments also use it. JavaScript can be used for Client-side developments as well as Server-side developments. JavaScript contains a standard library of objects, like Array, Date, and Math, and a core set of language elements like operators, control structures, and statements. You can check the Introduction to JavaScript.
JS version release year:
JS Structure:
Javascript
<script type="text/javascript">
// Your javaScript code
</script> |
Characteristics of JS:
- Platform independent: JavaScript runs on browsers which is available on all kinds of machines and is hence platform independent.
- Dynamically typed languages: This language can receive different data types over time.
- Case-Sensitive Format: JavaScript is case-sensitive so you have to be aware of that.
- Light Weight: It is so lightweight, and all browsers are supported by JS.
- Handling: Handling events is the main feature of JS, it can easily respond on the website when the user tries to perform any operation.
- Interpreter-Centered: JavaScript is built with an interpreter centered that allows the user to get the output without the use of the compiler.
Advantages of JS:
- JavaScript is executed on the user’s browsers not on the webserver so it saves bandwidth and loads on the webserver.
- The JavaScript language is easy to learn it offers syntax that is close to the English language.
- In JavaScript, if you ever need any certain feature then you can write it by yourself and use an add-on like Greasemonkey to implement it on the web page.
- It does not require a compilation process so no compiler is needed user’s browsers do the task.
- JavaScript is easy to debug, and there are lots of frameworks available that you can use and become a master of that.
- It is constantly being improved and newer features are being introduced that significantly tamp down the lines of code for web applications. For example, Arrow Functions were introduced in the ES6 version which provides a short syntax to write anonymous functions.
Disadvantages of JS:
- JavaScript codes are visible to the user so the user can place some code into the site that compromises the security of data over the website. That will be a security issue.
- All browsers interpret JavaScript which is correctly, but they interpret it differently from each other.
- It only supports single inheritance, so in a few cases may require the object-oriented language characteristic.
- A single error in code can totally stop the website’s code rendering on the website.
- JavaScript stores numbers as 64-bit floating-point numbers but operators operate on 32-bit bitwise operands. JavaScript first converts the number to 32-bit, performs the operation, and converts it to 64-bit again which reduces its speed.
- Lack of debugging facility compared to other programming languages.