JavaScript is one of the most popular programming languages in the world, used not only in the browser but also in backend development with Node.js. This article provides an overview of JavaScript and its growth from a scripting language for web animations to a powerful language used in various applications.
Introduction
JavaScript, created in 1995, was the first scripting language supported natively by web browsers. Originally used for animations and DHTML, JavaScript has evolved to meet the growing needs of the web platform. With the rise of Node.js, JavaScript has expanded beyond the browser and is now used in backend development, databases, embedded applications, mobile apps, TV sets apps, and more. From its humble beginnings, JavaScript has become the most popular programming language in the world.
A basic definition of JavaScript
JavaScript is a high-level, dynamic, dynamically-typed, and weakly-typed programming language. As a high-level language, it provides abstractions that allow developers to focus on code rather than machine details. JavaScript’s dynamic nature allows for runtime execution of many operations, providing features like dynamic typing, late binding, reflection, functional programming, object runtime alteration, closures, and more. Variables in JavaScript do not enforce a specific type, allowing for reassignment of different types. JavaScript is interpreted, meaning it does not require compilation before running the program. Unlike languages that enforce a specific programming paradigm, JavaScript is multi-paradigm, supporting object-oriented, functional, and imperative programming styles.
JavaScript versions
JavaScript is an implementation of the ECMAScript (ES) standard. ECMAScript is the standardized version of JavaScript, and new versions are released annually. Previously, the version widely supported by browsers was ECMAScript 3, while ES5 brought significant changes to JavaScript. ES6, also known as ES2015, introduced many new features. Since then, new versions have been released yearly to maintain a faster feedback loop. The latest approved version is ES2017.