Why should we programmers care about JavaScript?

I wrote this article inspired by what I saw happening with JS in the enterprise this week. Ten years ago, I would have never imagined that JavaScript would become almost ubiquitous. Here are a few reasons why you should care about JavaScript.

First of all, I think one of the main reasons why JavaScript has gained popularity is that it is very accessible. Learning JavaScript is relatively easy for beginners and very powerful for advanced users, who can use it to build complex and reliable systems.

Secondly, the reason why we should pay attention to JavaScript is because JavaScript is everywhere today.

You can use JavaScript to develop on almost any platform: client-side applications, server-side business logic, embedded chips/IoT devices, managing build scripts and dependencies, and more.

However, that doesn’t mean you can use the exact same code in every situation, but you can use the same skill set—JavaScript development—to provide solutions across multiple paradigms.

Client

JavaScript can be used to support client applications/user interfaces, as well as user interaction across a variety of platforms and devices.

　web

Of course, JavaScript supports the web, that’s for sure. JavaScript is the basic scripting language for all web browsers.

　Mobile

JavaScript can also be used to support mobile applications installed locally on the device.

• Apache Cordovn/ PhoneGap - You can use PhoneGap or Cordovn to build a locally installed web technology app. PhoneGap is Adobe's Cordovn-branded offshoot, but from a developer's perspective, they're basically the same. The application running on the mobile device will have a web view and build the user interface in the same way as building dynamic web applications. Although the user interface is implemented using HTML and CSS styles, all interactions are created using JavaScript.

• React Native - JavaScript-powered web applications can have more than just built-in web views. The React Native framework also allows developers to write their applications using JavaScript and declarative UI elements and produce a native application that can run on mobile devices. At runtime, the logic is interpreted as JavaScript, but everything the user interacts with (all UI elements) is 100% native, which provides a very high-quality user experience and is now also available for iOS and Android apps program.

• Unity 3D - Using the Unity 3D engine, you can develop colorful and immersive mobile 3D simulation or game experiences, even if it is all supported by JavaScript.

• NativeScript - A framework using JavaScript that can be used to build cross-platform native iOS, Android and Windows mobile applications.

Desktop

Desktop applications are not excluded from JavaScript either. Most desktop solutions fall into a category similar to Apache Cordovn, where the end result is that web views have lower-level APIs and content development is based on web technologies.

• Electron - Node.js+Chromium desktop application container from GitHub

• app.js - Node+Chromium desktop application Program Container

• nw.js - Another Node + Chromium desktop application container framework

• CEF - The Chromium Embedded Framework - — Frames embedded in Chrome browser built into desktop applications.

…etc. By the way, I remember that Microsoft already had a solution for how to build Windows applications purely in HTML/JS, and there were more solutions, but now I can't remember them all at once.

In fact, some of my favorite desktop tools like Slack, Atom, and VS Code are actually based on web technologies and HTML/JS.

Server Side

Most notably Node.js—the JavaScript runtime that encapsulates Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine—has made huge strides in server-side development and enterprise. Node.js, powered by frameworks such as express.js and loopback.io, makes it possible to develop server-side and complex enterprise applications in JavaScript.

IoT

You can use JavaScript entirely to develop headless apps that run on Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or other small tablets. You can use JavaScript to manage infrastructure and IoT sensors. Information flow, you can also use JavaScript to write chip programs for embedded systems, you can use it to control robots, and you can even use JavaScript to support media center connected TV experiences.

Like I said...JavaScript is everywhere.

Ecosystem

Not only can you build and run JavaScript applications everywhere. JavaScript also has a large and thriving developer ecosystem.

JavaScript is the most active language on GitHub. It is not only the most active of all code repositories, but also the most active of all push/commits.

Visual data

Here are some statistics showing the growth of Node.js / Why should we programmers care about JavaScript?.js.

NPM Statistics

Node.js is still growing.

The chart illustrates IBM’s emphasis on Node.js and Strongloop. 242 million @Why should we programmers care about JavaScript?js packages in 30 days! http://t.co/snDt88HQC5 pic.twitter.com/nRMwYyKmdo
— Rod Boothby (@rod11) September 10, 2015

But all of this is not Meaning JavaScript is the best language for everything. It doesn't mean that if you take out a piece of source code, it will run on every device and context as you want.

However, you can use JavaScript technology to develop for almost any type of device/context. Of course, it cannot be written once and run everywhere. In the words of the React.js team: learn once, write everywhere.

The above is why we programmers should pay attention to the content of JavaScript. For more related content, please pay attention to the PHP Chinese website (www.php.cn)!