Introduction to Javascript

Back to JavaScript
Arjit Sharma
01 Min

JavaScript is a programming language that adds interactivity and logic to web pages. Paired with HTML (structure) and CSS (styling), it powers the web frontend. Modern JS, also powers backend (nodejs being pioneer in this space)

A Brief History

JavaScript was created in 1995 by Brendan Eich at Netscape to make web pages interactive. Initially called “Mocha” and briefly “LiveScript” , it was renamed JavaScript to align with the popularity of Java (though the two are unrelated).

Its early role was simple: adding dynamic features like pop-up alerts and form validation, but it evolved as the web grew.

  • 1997: JavaScript was standardized as ECMAScript (ES1) to ensure cross-browser consistency.
  • 2009: ES5 introduced JSON and strict mode, improving reliability.
  • 2015: ES6 introduced modern features like arrow functions and let/const, solidifying JavaScript’s role in modern development.

Today, JavaScript also runs on the server-side (thanks to Node.js), making it a full-stack language used across browsers, servers, and even mobile and desktop applications.

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