JavaScript is a critical tool in web development. While CSS and HTML provide web pages with static contents, including the style and structure that appear on the page, JavaScript enables dynamic changing of these contents and enriches the user experience with advanced, interactive features.
Why Is JavaScript Used?
JavaScript allows developers to create unique, client-side scripts that enable the dynamism and interactivity of web elements. Developers can also write server-side code in JavaScript through the use of cross-platform engines like Node.js. Some basic examples of JavaScript at work include playing and pausing video embedded on a page and activating drop-down navigation menus.
Developers often use front-end frameworks, such as React, Angular and Vue, when building web and mobile applications to reduce programming time and potential errors by importing prewritten code that executes common functionalities and components. These frameworks contain collections of code libraries that developers can use to streamline their workflow by reusing code that others have already created. Frameworks allow applications to remain manageable when scaling up while increasing collaboration between developers.
Is JavaScript Front End or Back End?
JavaScript is used across the entire web development stack, meaning that it has both front-end and back-end applications.
JavaScript is perhaps most commonly recognized as a front-end programming language dedicated to adding interactivity to web and mobile apps, but it has a wide range of backend development applications as well.
One of the most popular JavaScript runtime environments is Node.js, which can be used to build web servers and develop back-end infrastructure. By using Node.js, back-end developers can create support for data updates from the front-end, read front-end data, delete front-end data and build scalable network applications.
Likewise, frameworks such as Express, which is based on Node.js, can be helpful for the back-end. Developers can also use frameworks such as Next.js, Gatsby, Meteor for back-end development, depending on use cases. Express is useful for building web servers; Gatsby is a front-end framework used for generating static web pages; Next and Meteor are full-stack frameworks that can accomplish front and back-end development of the same technique through server-side rendering, which improves response time.
Is Python Better Than Javascript?
JavaScript remains the more popular programming language with many advantages, but Python presents other advantages that JavaScript lacks. In the end, which language is better depends on a website's particular needs.
Python generally presents less of a learning curve than JavaScript for those early in their programming careers. Where Python falls short, however, is in its scalability. Python does not support asynchronous programming, but Node.js does. This means JavaScript can handle a large number of users as well as large volumes of data with minimal server usage. Python is only able to accomplish cooperative multitasking through the use of co-routines.
Ultimately, whether Python or JavaScript is better for development depends on your project’s functionality and purpose, as well as your own particular skill set. For example, a front-end developer may be able to use JavaScript on the back-end as well without constraints, but if the application or website requires machine learning features, Python is preferable due to the numerous libraries available to reduce programming workflows and ensure functionality.
