Being a developer it is overwhelming to learn multiple languages to build different kinds of applications. Most of the time we need to learn more than one language just to build a single application or to build various applications. For the frontend part, you learn a different language and for the backend one a different language. For mobile, you learn a different one, for game development you learn a different one. Every time learning a new language becomes quite confusing or sometimes frustrating for developers… Surely we all want to stick to one language that can perform pretty much any task.
So what’s the solution for the above problems? Can we just learn a single language and manage multiple things together? Is there any language that can fulfill most of the tasks? Is there any language that can be used everywhere…?
Yes, there is…and that language is JavaScript.
JavaScript is everywhere…whether it’s a small startup or a big company, most of them are working on this language to build various kinds of applications. Earlier JavaScript was only used to make your page interactive and it was limited to the web browser only. But now this language has become a part of server-side coding as well and it’s giving tough competition to the other languages in the market.
Today, JavaScript is visible almost everywhere. A lot of frameworks and libraries are also available that can do pretty much anything you want. It is used by 95% of all the websites which you can check here. According to Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2020, JavaScript is the #1 programming language.
Any application that can be written in JavaScript, will eventually be written in JavaScript.”
— Jeff Atwood, 2007
But why this language is gaining so much popularity and hype? What benefits does it offer to the developers? What are some strong reasons to choose this language to learn? Let’s discuss that in detail…
1. It Works in The Browser
For most of the language, you need to do some kind of environment setup, download the compiler or some setup in the code editor. Also, you need to learn how to use them or not. This is not the case with JavaScript. It is the default language of the internet. You can run and test your code in the browser without creating a special development environment or any kind of setup in your text editor. All you just need is a web browser that is available in almost every system and a text editor to run the program.
Also, when you are working with some other languages such as Java, Ruby, Python, or C, the server needs to build some processes and wrap that code in a way that the browser can actually interpret. This isn’t the case with JavaScript. You don’t need to look further than your browser for proof since JavaScript was most likely used to develop it. You can simply open up the code in your browser and that browser can parse through the code interpreted and then run the program.
2. Easy to Learn
It has been seen that a lot of developers don’t know the basics of JavaScript even after some previous experience in coding. JavaScript is comparatively easy to learn than other programming languages. It’s beginner-friendly and anyone can start learning it without any previous experience in coding. Generally beginners in coding struggle with some environment setup or set up in the code editor to run the program. But JavaScript works in the browser and you don’t need to do any kind of specific setup to run your program.
JavaScript is a higher-level language so you don’t need to deal with so many complexities in your code (handled by the machine instead of in your code). You can learn the fundamentals of JavaScript within a few months and you can build the application or start creating simple programs on your own.
The syntax of this language is quite simple and logical. Most of the syntax resembles the English language so this language is fairly easy to understand. Also, the huge community of JavaScript is always ready to help. So in case if you get stuck somewhere during the learning phase, you can ask for help and you will get the solution easily.
3. Versatile Programming Language
We have discussed that initially this language was only used for web client but now JavaScript has a wide range of usage. You can use it virtually in any field from the simplest solution to the more complex one. This is one of the big reasons for its popularity. Let’s see how learning this one language can help you to build various kinds of applications in different areas…
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Web applications (frontend and backend): JavaScript is very popular for building entire web applications. Once you’ve mastered this language, you can extend your skills to learn some frameworks and libraries such as React.js, Angular.js, or Vue.js. These libraries and frameworks help you to build beautiful web interfaces.
Also, you don’t need to spend time learning a new language for the backend part of your application. With the help of Node.js, Nest.Js, and Express, you can use the same language for building the server-side part of your application. Isn’t it cool to become a full-stack developer by learning just a single language? -
Mobile Application: In the very early days of smartphone app development you needed to learn Objective-C for iOS and Java for Android. But in the case of JavaScript, both iOS and Android applications can be developed by using React Native. You can also use Flutter, Ionic or a different one
Companies like Apple and Google have adopted this language into their mobile development tool kits to extend their development base. Also, PhoneGap which is a mobile application development framework allows you to create native-like mobile functionality through JavaScript API calls. - Desktop Applications: You can build the desktop application with the help of ElectronJS.
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Big Data & Cloud Development: NoSQL databases such as MongoDB and others are using JSON (JavaScript object notation) on the modern web for data interchange. JSON document has become the major standard to store the records in the database. JSON works well with many programming languages but it is best to fit with JavaScript to connect the application with the big data.
Node.js is also the best fit for the cloud application. It is one of the top four languages supported by major cloud platforms such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft Azure. Development with Node.js is growing faster and now it has 35,000 downloads with more than 88,000 modules. - Blockchain Technology: You can also use JavaScript for the backend solution of blockchain technology and work with Ethereum smart contracts. You can create smart contracts with Solidity (another version of JavaScript with limited functionality) which is a special programming language developed for this.
- Automation: Even if you don’t want to be a developer, you can use this language to automate your day-to-day workflow. You can create some simple programs to avoid repetitive tasks such as updating a few things at several places or following people on Instagram. You can create automation scenarios for Mac computers by using JXA. You can also create automation scenarios for Photoshop. So a lot of boring stuff that consumes a lot of time can be automated with this language.
- You can use ExcelJS in order to develop tools intended to edit files in the XLS format.
- JavaScript is a very good language to create visual effects and this is the reason it is also best suitable for Game development (Unity)
- It can be used to power up smart TV or you can create music with it.
- IoT (Raspberry Pi)
- Machine learning (TensorflowJS)
- Artificial intelligence
4. Big Community Support
It doesn’t matter you are building a simple website or some complex server-side stuff, you are just one click away from Google to find the solution for anything in programming. You can easily get the solution or support in JavaScript programming on Google immediately. JavaScript’s community has millions of people around the world and the community offers ready-to-use solutions for a different level of complexity in JavaScript programming.
On StackOverflow, JavaScript developers community is one of the biggest communities and none of the other languages offer this kind of huge support. Probably Python is the only language that offers the same level of community support. The community not only offers the solution for coding related problems but also helps you with the new tools, add-ons, a wide range of experienced mentors, and professional books. Dozens of manuals, blogs, and articles on JavaScript are available online.
We can’t deny the fact that the size of community support really matters a lot when you need easy and quick help in coding. In the case of JavaScript, you get help much faster due to the large developer community support. You can interact with more experienced developers and you can talk about a better solution, the newest features, or the smart way to create a specific feature. Large developers’ community is always helpful in getting the solution for all levels of coding related problems. Whether you are trying to fix the bug or you trying to understand some concept, the size of the developers’ community decides how fast you can get the help.
StackOverflow, GeeksforGeeks, Hashnode, and GitHub are some popular websites that offer plenty of support in JavaScript. As a developer, you can also contribute to the developer’s community and help others.
5. Great Career Opportunities
And finally, a career in JavaScript….after all in the end what matters is a secure and a high paid job. Due to the wide range of usage of this language JavaScript developers are high in demand from small startups to the big companies. Learning this language opens a lot of career opportunities, from remote freelancing to a lucrative full-time position. You can find plenty of career opportunities posted by recruiters on various platforms such as LinkedIn, monster, Indeed, Naukri.com, and some other ones.
According to the Devskiller Global Technical Hiring & Skills Report 2019, 70% of companies are looking to hire JavaScript experts. According to the 2018 HackerRank report, 48% of employers worldwide need developers with JavaScript skills, but only 42% of student developers claim to be proficient in JavaScript. JavaScript developers are high in demand, and they are well paid. You don’t need to have 5-10 years of experience to get a good salary. In the United States, JavaScript developers earn an average yearly salary of $117,576 per year.
Amazon, Google, Netflix, PayPal, and many other tech giants are looking for skilled JavaScript developers. Demand for the JavaScript developer is increasing day by day and if you are skilled in this language than you can find the job opportunity in various fields.
You may find yourself much higher in demand if you are specialized in skill React.js or Node.js. In JavaScript, these frameworks are gaining more popularity and used in an increasing number of applications. So learning JavaScript gives assurance of a stable career and it really boosts your earning potential as a developer.