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javascript is the programming language of the internet—the secret sauce that makes websites dynamic, responsive, and all-around awesome. This fast-paced tutorial quickly teaches total beginners how to code in this popular, easy-to-learn language. Light-hearted and hands-on, the book introduces you to programming essentials through fun examples, hands-on exercises, and cool projects like building a Pong-style computer game. You’ll discover all of the important aspects of the language (without delving into expert-level nitty-gritty details or confusing jargon) as you develop a fast knack for programming with javascript.
There are hundreds of programming languages to choose from, but there are a few things that make javascript special. Most important is its relationship with web browsers, such as Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox. Almost every web browser can run javascript, which means the code you write in javascript can be run on any computer with a web browser. There’s no need to install any additional special software. Almost all smartphone web browsers can run javascript, too, so you may have a javascript-enabled browser in your pocket or bag right now.
Because of its relationship to web browsers, javascript is an extremely important part of web development. If a website includes dynamic, interactive features, it was probably created with javascript. For example, YouTube uses javascript to show you previews of videos when you hover over their thumbnails, Threads uses javascript to load more posts as you scroll down the page, and Amazon uses javascript to power its Look Inside feature.
Beyond its use in web browsers, javascript is also heavily used on the backend of websites, or the part of the website code that runs on a server, delivering content to users (as opposed to the frontend code that runs directly on the user’s device). This is possible via a technology called Node.js. Many top websites have a Node.js backend, letting you use the same language for the frontend and backend of your website, and even share code between the two.
Finally, javascript has become a very popular scripting language for various applications, from Photoshop (where you can automate image processing) to Gmail (where you can add automations that organize your email). With some javascript knowledge, you can bend these applications to your will!
- Learn fundamental JS coding concepts, including objects, functions, arrays, and loops
- Explore key web programming topics, like interactivity and drawing graphics with Canva
- Use javascript to make games, apps, and even create music