What the Future of JavaScript Looks Like in 2022

JavaScript is a scripting language widely used in the programming world. It is one of the three fundamental languages that is used to develop websites.

While HTML and CSS render a website structure and style, JavaScript helps you in adding functionality and behaviors to the website, allowing the visitor of the website to interact with the content in multiple imaginative ways.

The presence of JavaScript (JS) can be traced from only frontend and back-end, but also, to mobile, desktop, and even hybrid applications as well. For the past few years, the world of technology has been witnessing a positive shift towards the emerging use of JavaScript. 

This has led JavaScript to become one of the most desired skills to date for getting a good job according to StackOverflow’s developer survey. It clearly indicates that the future of JavaScript is going to be bright (see the below screenshot from the survey).

People generally start with HTML and CSS and gradually slip along with JavaScript. This is because JavaScript blends well with these two languages, and also enhances one’s existing HTML and CSS skills. People tend to develop games and applications using other computer programming languages such as Java, Swift, C++, Dart. 

But the ease with which one can develop such applications and games using JavaScript has no match. JS provides you with more options than required for carrying out any programming task. It is one of the most effective languages due to its omnipresence and performance.

JavaScript has the potential to tap into many industries where Python still rules the game.

Before we understand how JavaScript turned the table within a short period, let’s first know a bit about the origin and development of JavaScript in the world of ever-growing technology.

Also read: Why you should learn Git as a developer

Origin of JavaScript

JavaScript was created by Brendan Eich in 1995 while he was working as a computer programmer at Netscape Communications.

During the 1990s with the creation of JavaScript, Netscape became the best browser developing company and hence dominated the market.

The Story Behind

During the initial years of the Web, the web pages were static and lacked the ability for dynamic behavior when the page was loaded in the browser.

There was a desire in the expanding web development domain to remove this limitation. Keeping this in view, in 1995, Netscape intended to add a scripting language to the Navigator.

They proceeded to two routes for achieving this first was, collaborating with Sun Microsystems to embed the Java programming language, and secondly, they hired Brendan Eich to embed the Scheme language.

The manager of Netscape very soon decided that the best option for Brendan Eich is to devise a new language, with a syntax that is similar to Java and less like Scheme or other extant scripting languages.

The new language was then known as LiveScript (when first became a part of Navigator beta), which later on was changed to JavaScript as its official name.

Why is JavaScript the Future?

Mature Ecosystem

JavaScript is believed to be one of the most mature ecosystems because its community has few entry barriers and is vast for JavaScript. It is one of the most efficient programming languages.

One can start a browser (present in 100% of personal computers), open the console, and can find a JavaScript engine waiting to run the code. This was never possible with any other programming languages with such complexity.

Omnipresence

The omnipresence of JavaScript makes it unique and effective as a programming language.

JavaScript has its presence in the following important areas:

• Front end (Browsers)
• Back end (Node, Deno)
• Android/iOS (React Native, NativeScript, etc.)
• Desktop (Electron)
• Hybrid (Ionic)

But, have you ever imagined how is this possible for JavaScript to have its presence across such a wide area?

Well, the answer is JavaScript engines can be written in C and C++ languages and they can also be compiled of ES(Embedded Systems).

For other platforms, sInce the browsers are invariably present (like on Android/iOS), they ship with a JavaScript engine that can then be used to run any JAVA code, this can even be done for native apps in the case of React Native.

Efficiency and Scalability

Nothing can indeed beat the programming languages C or C++, but JavaScript can generate highly optimized code by monitoring how the codes are being executed, delaying the bits of execution that are not used, and optimizing the segments of codes that are used over and over.

Also, JavaScript is extremely scalable with supersets like TypeScript.

JavaScript leads the asynchronous event-driven programming model of the industry, it needs no threads to scale. Rather, individual Node processes can be spawned to handle and utilize the complete CPU core as explained on FreeCodeCamp.

Companies that use JavaScript

Unquestionably, JavaScript is being used everywhere.

According to the recent StackOverflow survey, surprisingly 49,9% of the developers, who took part in the voting, named JavaScript as the most commonly used technology. Whereas, Angular stood in 2nd place with 37,6%.

Following is the list of companies that use JS:

• Netflix
• Google
• Paypal
• Trello
• LinkedIn
• Medium
• Nasa
• Mozilla
• Citibank, etc.

Final Words

Now since you have enough idea about the utility of JavaScript, you can very well decide to opt for a better career by stepping up into the world of JavaScript.

It’s one of the ever-growing programming languages in the tech world.

Now it is up to you, how you want to shape your future.

Also see: A Detailed Guide to Technical Interviews

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