Have you ever wondered how websites work or how it is different from Java?

Imagine you visit a website and opens it, now everything you see like animations, buttons, links, search bar, navigations bar, etc. these changes are not done with magic they are due to the javascript expertise of a developer.

Technically, nowadays JavaScript is used by almost every website we interact with.

If you are a beginner at JavaScript and want to get some insights into learning it then, this article is for you!

Let's dive in!

What is JavaScript?

Javascript is a high-level, interpreted programming language that adheres to the ECMAScript standard. It is mostly abbreviated as JS. Additionally, this language is described as dynamic, multi-paradigm, prototype-based, and weakly defined.

Let’s break this down. It is used to create both client-side and server-side dynamic pages. It is an open-source and cross-platform language.

In the graph attached below, it is shown that javascript is among the most used programming language when it comes to creating dynamic websites.

The most basic javascript code can look something like this:

Sample Code:

<script>
    console.log("Welcome to Hack2skill Station");
</script>

Output:

Welcome to Hack2skill Station

JavaScript simply adds dynamic content to websites to make them look good. HTML work on the look of the website without the interactive effects and all.

As it has a wide range of applications, one can use JavaScript in several ways:

• Using the console tab of web browsers
• Using Node.js
• By creating web pages

Prerequisites for Learning JavaScript

At first, you need to understand the fundamentals of HTML and CSS, both of which are quite simple to master, in order to learn JavaScript. This expertise will be adequate for most web-based tasks and a solid understanding of JavaScript. It is advised to be familiar with fundamental OOPs ideas and a programming language with an OOP foundation for more advanced projects and abilities (like Java).

JavaScript vs Java

Comparing Java to JavaScript is like comparing a Car to a Carpet.

Java vs JavaScript has become a hot topic of discussion these days.

Let's clear the confusion here!

Most people out there have a misunderstanding that both Java and Javascript are similar. As Javascript has “Java” in its name, many people assume that Java and Javascript are somehow related. Though both are programming or scripting languages used by programmers for a variety of tasks, their similarities end with “Java”.

Java is to JavaScript as Ham is to Hamster!

Differences:

Java is an Object-Oriented Programming language that is platform-independent because it gets executed in the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). On the other hand, JavaScript is an object-oriented scripting language that helps to create dynamic HTML pages.

Similarities:

Did you know that the most frequently used languages for creating web applications are Java and JavaScript?

After being injected directly into HTML, JavaScript is used as a toolkit or library for front-end development, whereas Java may be utilized to create attractive front ends via Java applets.

Java has been used by developers to support back-end frameworks like JBoss, WebSphere, and Apache. Node.js provides the necessary infrastructure for back-end development to power JavaScript services.

What is NodeJs?

NodeJS is not a framework and it’s not a programming language.

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime environment as JVM is to Java.

We often use Node.js for building back-end services like APIs like Web App or Mobile App. It’s used in production by large companies such as Paypal, Uber, Netflix, Walmart, and so on.

The V8 JavaScript runtime engine runs Node.js. Your code written in Javascript is processed by this engine to create efficient machine code. Low-level code, or machine code, may be executed by the computer directly without needing to be first interpreted.

Tech giants Using JavaScript

• PayPal
• Netflix
• Groupon
• Uber
• Facebook
• Google
• eBay

Conclusion

JavaScript is a scripting language that was created to animate and power the web. It is one of the most efficient and widely used programming languages. Nearly 99% of websites today directly or indirectly employ JavaScript, which was first developed in May 1995 by Brendan Eich under the moniker LiveScript. The ECMAScript standard is implemented by JavaScript.

So there you go, your first step into the world of JavaScript. We’ve begun with just an Introduction, but in the next blog i.e #2 of Javascript, we will begin with the basics of the JavaScript programming language, such as variables, comments, conditional expressions, loops, and functions, we will gradually move on to more sophisticated subjects like hoisting, closure, object-oriented programming, and much more.

Stay Tuned for the next blog! To get started with your Javascript journey.

Feel free to put up any questions in the comment section below, if you have/had.

Happy Learning!