JavaScript Overview — Introduction
JavaScript like all other programming languages is a pretty big topic. You can’t learn JS just by reading one book or watching a tutorial. I won’t do it either, my goal is to make an overview of the main concepts you must understand and provide you with good sources where you can learn more about the JavaScript language. So let’s get started.
Alert: This JavaScript Overview series is not for absolute beginners if you are I recommend checking out any JavaScript Crash Course before you move on.
I can recommend this JavaScript Crash Course. But it’s up to you, you can find any other Crash Course on YouTube.
What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is a multi-paradigm language and bla-bla-bla. Check out the video below to learn history around JavaScript, it save a lot of time for us 😊
Oh, and this of course too 😬
Just one more, I promise 😅
Now let’s move on 😉
It’s Not JavaScript, It’s Environment
The most important thing I want to cover before we can start to dive deeper into another JavaScript concept is where we run our JS code, it’s really important to know. The reason why we need to know it it’s because some developers always get confused about what we can do in JavaScript. And it depends on where you run your JavaScript code. And we call it — JavaScript Environment.
We typically run our JavaScript in Browser or Node.js. It’s just environment that allow us to run our JavaScript code.
Various JavaScript environments (like Browsers, Node.js, etc.) adds APIs into the global scope of your JavaScript programs that give you environment-specific capabilities, like: alert() or setTimeout(). These kind of functions are not defined in JavaScript.
alert(..)call is JS, butalertitself is really just a guest, not part of the official JS specification.— by You Don’t Know JS Yet
JavaScript can’t even make network request of the Internet, it’s not a feature inside JavaScript. The environment adds this feature that allow us by using JavaScript do this.
Check out Common browser APIs and Common Node.js APIs
On the image below you can see Browser environment and JavaScript engine is only one part of it.
DOM, Network Requests, Timers, Console, etc. are not a part of JavaScript. But JavaScript is programming language that let us use these features.
So Browser and Node.js are composite of the JavaScript engine and a ton of non-JavaScript features, but JavaScript can use some of these features if the environment provides API for these.
It this article we covered our first and important concept that will help us to know JS better.
In my JavaScript Overview series, I want to cover all misunderstood parts of JavaScript and help you to fill your gaps. Let’s stay in touch and subscribe to not miss the next part. See you soon!
If you want to start learn JavaScript right now here is my favorites books and sources:
