JAVASCRIPT. The language every web developer loves but will deny to admit it😂. The language everyone complains about🤦♂️ but yet can not do without🥰. I think JavaScript is beautiful. Yes, it has flaws but that only proves it has a strong bond with humans. If only you can look past all the nagging from Tech Twitter, then you would discover the crazy, amazing world of JavaScript.
What is a JavaScript though?
From an intellectual standpoint, Javascript can be defined as:
A high-level, object-oriented, multiparadigm programming language.
What the?😨 What does that even mean? Okay, okay, let me break it down and explain.
- Programming Language: Javascript is a tool for communicating or passing instructions to a computer.
- High-level: Javascript provides a much simpler way to interact with the computer than some older programming languages(low-level languages). With these low-level languages, programmers had to worry about complex details of the computer like memory management whereas high-level languages like JavaScript take care of sure details for you.
- Object-Oriented: JavaScript uses structures called objects to represent data from the real world.
- Multiparadigm: JavaScript code can be written in different styles and patterns eg declarative and imperative paradigms.
If you are someone who's not big on technical terms when explaining stuff, a simple way to define JavaScript is:
A programming language that allows you to implement complex features and interactions on web pages
Understanding the role of JavaScript in Web development.
If you have been learning web development for a while now, you must have heard, "JavaScript is the language of the web". This means almost all websites on the internet these days have some amount of JavaScript they use to make it work.
The three pillars of the web
Before talking about the place of Javascript in web development, let's see what makes up a web page. The three pillars of the web include HTML, CSS, and JS(JavaScript). These are the three technologies that make up any webpage you can find on the internet.
- HTML defines the structure of the webpage
- CSS defines how the webpage looks
- JAVASCRIPT defines how the webpage works
Let's think of a webpage like building a house. Html would be laying the foundation, building the walls, and roofing the house. CSS would be painting the house and putting some flowers around to make the house look beautiful. JS would be electrifying the house, putting the plumbing, and every other thing that makes the house usable and comfortable.
What JavaScript Actually does.
JavaScript adds interactivity to our pages. But what does that really mean? Think about how you use a webpage: you could click on a button to change the theme of the webpage to dark mode, you could search for products on an eCommerce site, sometimes posts just magically keep piling up on your social media page. All these interactions/actions are only possible using JavaScript.
Should you learn JavaScript in 2022?
If you want to become a web developer in the future, then YESS!!!! There's no way to escape JavaScript as a web developer, whether you are a frontend or backend developer. It is the language of the web and one of the most popular languages in the world today.
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