Introduction to JavaScript
1.What is JavaScript?
a. JavaScript is a high-level scripting as well as programming
language which is used to create interactive web pages.
b. JavaScript is an object-based scripting language which is
lightweight and cross-platform.
c. With the help of JS we are able to add functionality and
behaviour to HTML and CSS webpages.
d. It is the only language which is understood by the browser.
e. JavaScript is also known as the scripting language.
f. It is the language you can use at the browser side as well as
the server side.
g. It is the most common and popular language used right now.
h. A lot of frameworks and libraries are based on javascript.
It can be used for both frontend and backend.
i. Frontend → [Link], [Link], [Link], etc.
ii. Backend → [Link], [Link], etc.
2.History of JS:
a. In the early days of the web, HTML and CSS were used to
create static web pages.
b. HTML provided the structure, and CSS controlled the
presentation.
c. There was no way to create interactive or dynamic behavior
directly in the browser.
d. Users had to reload entire pages to see updates or interact
with content, which was a significant limitation.
e.Creation of JavaScript :
i. 1993 ⇒ Mosaic , the first popular web browser with a
graphical user interface, was released. It made the
web accessible to non-technical people and spurred the
rapid growth of the World Wide Web.
ii. 1994 ⇒ The lead developers of Mosaic founded
Netscape Corporation and released Netscape
Navigator , a more polished browser.
iii. 1995 ⇒ Netscape decided to add a programming
language to Navigator.
iv. Two approaches were pursued:
v. Collaborating with Sun Microsystems to embed the
Java language.
vi. Hiring Brendan Eich to embed the Scheme language.
vii. They collaborated with Brendan Eich to create
JavaScript.
viii. Early 1995 ⇒ The scripting language was initially
called “Mocha”.
ix. September 1995 ⇒ Renamed "LiveScript”
x. December 1995 ⇒ Final name, "JavaScript" , was used
in Netscape Navigator 2.0
3.ECMA:
a. ECMA stands for (European Computer Manufacturers
Association).
b. ECMA International, is an organization that develops and
publishes technical standards.
c. Its role in the development of JavaScript is critical due to
the need for standardization across different web
browsers.
d. Since 2015, major versions have been published every June.
e. ECMAScript 2025 (ES2025), the 16th and current version,
was released on 25th, June 2025.
4.Characteristics of JS:
a.Client-Side Scripting Language
i. Runs in the browser to make web pages interactive.
ii. Example: Show a popup when a button is clicked.
b.Dynamically Typed Programming Language
i. You don’t need to declare the type of variables (string,
number, etc.).
ii. JS Automatically detects the type at runtime.
iii. let x = 5; // number
iv. x = "Hello"; // now string
c.Weakly Typed Programming Language
i. Allows operations between different data types.
ii. JS automatically converts types if needed.
iii. Example:
iv. [Link](5 + "2"); // "52" (number + string = string)
d.Interpreted Language
i. Runs directly without compiling.
ii. You can just write code and execute it.
e.Single Threaded
i. JavaScript runs one task at a time.
ii. Think of it as one person doing tasks in order.
f.Asynchronous in Nature
i. Can do other work while waiting for something (like a
server response).
ii. Example: Fetch data from a server without freezing
the page.
g.Prototype-Based Object-Oriented
i. Objects in JS inherit features from other objects
using prototypes, not classes (though ES6 has class
syntax).
h.Run in Browsers and Servers
i. Browser → Frontend (client-side)
ii. [Link] → Backend (server-side)
i. Cross-platform
i. Works on Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile devices.
j. Client Side Validation
i. Can check form data before sending it to the server.
ii. Example: Show an error if a password is too short.
5.Difference Between Programming Language vs Scripting
Language
