JavaScript Development Bootcamp: Build 20 Powerful Projects

JavaScript is a programming language used to make websites interactive. If you think about the basic makeup of a website, you have HTML, which describes and defines the basic content and structure of the website, then you have CSS, which tells the browser how this HTML content should be displayed determining things like color and font.

With just HTML and CSS, you have a website that looks good but doesn t actually do much. JavaScript brings the website to life by adding functionality. It s is responsible for elements that the user can interact with, such as drop–down menus, modal windows, and contact forms. It is also used to create things like animations, video players, and interactive maps.

Nowadays, JavaScript is an all–purpose programming language meaning it runs across the entire software stack. The most popular application of it is on the client–side (aka frontend), but since Node.js came on the scene, many people run JavaScript on the server–side (aka backend) as well.

When used on the client–side, JavaScript code is read, interpreted, and executed in the user s web browser. When used on the server–side, it is run on a remote computer.

JavaScript isn t only used to create websites. It can also be used to build browser–based games and, with the help of certain frameworks, mobile apps for different operating systems. The creation of new libraries and frameworks is also making it possible to build backend programs with the language, such as web apps and server apps.