What is JavaScript Used For?

Although JavaScript is one of the most widely used programming languages in the world, the question "What is JavaScript used for?" remains a frequently asked one.  

If you have also ever wondered what is the real hype around JavaScript all about then, this article is just right for you. 

JavaScript is a text-based programming language that allows you to construct interactive web pages on both the client and server sides.

Ok, now as you are familiar with the very basic idea of what JavaScript is, let's get right into the depths of its use. 

What is the purpose of JavaScript, and why should you learn it?

What is JavaScript?

Whereas HTML and CSS provide structure and aesthetics to web pages, JavaScript adds interactive components that keep users engaged.

By changing a static web page into an interactive one, including JavaScript, improves the user experience. To summarize, JavaScript adds functionality to web pages.

Menus, animations, video players, interactive maps, and even simple in-browser games may all be readily constructed with JavaScript.

The production of modern web pages is made possible by the collaboration of three languages. These are the following:

• HTML, or hypertext markup language, is a programming language for putting content on a web page. It supports the addition of text, images, links, and even videos. HTML, for example, allows you to place a login button in a specific location on your website.
  
   
• CSS is a stylesheet language that is used to style HTML content. Using CSS, you can change the shape, size, color, and style of the login button you added with HTML.
  
   
• The subject of this tutorial is JavaScript. Using JavaScript, you can turn standard site items into interactive ones. It works in conjunction with HTML and CSS and is an essential tool for any web developer.

What is JavaScript used for?

Front-End Development

For a front-end web developer, JavaScript is an essential tool. Websites would not have evolved into the dynamic web apps that they are today without it. Image carousels would be a thing of the past. No partial page would retain your position on the page.

Back-End Development

Back-end development is concerned with the parts of a website that are not visible to the user. Server-side development is another term for this.

Databases, APIs, file servers, cloud services, and other back-end development projects are all part of back-end development.

You may now utilize JavaScript for back-end web development as well, thanks to the creation of Node.js, a JavaScript runtime engine. Various JavaScript frameworks have been created to make back-end web development easier. Express Js, Fastify, and Koa are a few examples.

Mobile App Development

The process of building software for a mobile device is known as mobile app development. It entails the creation of applications for mobile platforms.

JavaScript can be used to create mobile apps. JavaScript has been used to create native, cross-platform, and hybrid apps utilizing various Javascript frameworks and tools. Here are a few examples, React Native, NativeScript, Ionic.

Game Development

Games are one of the most enjoyable projects to work on because they may be enjoyed by both you and the end-user.

Depending on the intricacy of the game, there are several ways to create it with JavaScript.

Using HTML, CSS, and vanilla javascript, you can create simple 2D games from scratch. Here's a fantastic resource to get you started:

Ania Kubow teaches JavaScript by creating seven games.

A JavaScript game engine may make the process of creating complicated game concepts, as well as more efficient and faster games, much easier.

Phaser Js, Babylon Js, and Lime Js are examples of these engines.

Add Interaction to Web Pages

Users can interact with web pages using JavaScript. On a web page, there are essentially no restrictions to what you can accomplish using JavaScript - here are a few examples:

• With a press of a button, you can reveal or hide more information.
• When the mouse lingers over a button, it changes color.
• On the site, you can scroll through a carousel of photographs.
• Zooming in or out on a photograph
• Using a website to display a timer or countdown
• Audio and video can be played on a web page.
• Animations are displayed.
• Using a hamburger menu with a drop-down menu

Why Use JavaScript?

Let’s take a look at five reasons for how Javascript improves your site and so why you need it.

• Client-side programming is one of the few languages that does not execute on the web page's server. If you're a web developer, you want the time it takes for a page to load in a viewer's browser to be as short as possible. The user experience suffers as the load time increases. JavaScript animations run on the device processor of the viewer. This greatly minimizes the demand on the webserver and speeds up page loading.
  
   
• JavaScript isn't the only online programming language with a short learning curve. Python, C++, and a few others are among the others. It is, nevertheless, the most popular because it is simple to learn. The syntax used by JavaScript is extremely close to that of English. Developers don't have to spend weeks trying to figure out what each snippet means.
  
   
• Compatibility with other languages: Web servers run in a variety of languages. Python, PHP, Ruby, Rails, ASP.NET, and Java are just a few examples of programming languages.
  
   
• The DOM model is a method of organizing a web page where the elements are styled as "objects" with their own properties. This makes it simple for JavaScript to connect to all of the elements and use them for animations and transitions with minimal problems.
  
   
• Programming without a compiler: Traditional coding requires the use of a compiler. A compiler is used by a browser to convert raw code into understandable syntax.

Sum up 

Although it was created to aid front-end web developers in the construction of interactive features, JavaScript's applications have quickly grown to cover back-end web development, game development, and even mobile app development.

Understanding what JavaScript is used for will help you see the value of learning to code.

Learning JavaScript will increase your employability, provide you the opportunity to start your own business or work as a freelancer, and provide you a lot more job stability.