5 Reasons Why You Need JavaScript in Your Website

JavaScript is the programming language of the internet. You see JavaScript (Js for short) all over the internet. There are three languages every programmer at every Toronto web development company speaks – HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), and JavaScript.

HTML tells a browser what content to show on your web pages. CSS tells the browser how to lay the content out and format it to look great. JavaScript controls the behavior of the page. All the popups, cool transitions, scrolling animations, and other attractive aspects of modern websites are created using JavaScript.

In Canada (and especially in Toronto) web development is entering a new age of visual attraction. Ten years ago, people looked for plain text to inform themselves. Today, you’d click away from a page that only had text on it and nothing else to draw your attention. As the landscape of the internet changes, so do the development standards of today.

How Does JavaScript Improve Your Site?

• Client-side programming: It’s one of the few languages that isn’t run on the server that hosts the web page. If you’re a web developer, the time taken to load a page on a viewer’s browser must be as low as possible. The higher the load time, the lower the user experience. JavaScript animations use the viewer’s device processor to run themselves. This reduces the strain on the web server by a huge amount and cuts the page load time.
  
   
• Small learning curve: JavaScript isn’t the only programming language for the web. Others include Python, C++, and a few more. However, it’s the most popular because it’s easy to learn. The syntax JavaScript uses is very similar to English. Developers don’t have to spend weeks figuring out what each snippet of code does when building a new site. In the fast-paced Toronto web development industry, every second counts. When a developer uses JavaScript, your site will be open to the public that much faster.

• Compatible with other languages: Web servers use different languages to run well. Python, PHP, Ruby, Rails, ASP.NET, and Java are a few examples. Regardless of the language used on the server, your viewers will always have a rich, responsive experience because JavaScript works well with all of these languages.
  
   
• Uses the DOM model: The DOM model is method of structuring a web page so that the elements are styled as “objects” with their own properties. This allows JavaScript to easily relate to all the elements and use them for animations or transitions with minimal issues. The DOM (Document Object Model) isn’t a programming language; it’s universal. A developer can write a DOM for a web page using JavaScript.
  
   
• Compiler-free programming: Traditional coding uses a compiler. A browser uses a compiler to translate raw code into readable syntax. This takes time and increases the load time of the page. It also increases the amount of time your site will be in development. On the other hand, browsers can natively read JavaScript. They can translate it the same way they do HTML. A compiler isn’t needed to make it readable.

AJAX Uses it to Independently Load Sections of Pages

Since its launch in 1995, JavaScript has grown in popularity. Today, an astounding 92% of the internet’s websites use JavaScript to make the user experience more agreeable. AJAX is a programming language that uses JavaScript to make pages reload sections without reloading the entire page.

You’ve seen this across the internet on sites like Google.com, Facebook, YouTube, and more. Think about what happens when you click a video on YouTube, for example. The page loads up and you can watch the video. If you scroll down and post a comment on the video, the comments section updates (or reloads) while the video continues to play.

In Toronto’s web development sector, companies use the same principle to make the experience more seamless for users. For example, if you visit our Portfolio page, you can select whether to view the projects we’ve completed sorted by feature or project name. When you select an option, the page itself won’t reload, but that section will.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

JavaScript is fast. Blindingly fast. It easily eclipses older languages like PHP. If you’re a business that sends newsletters to customers via email, for example, node.js (a JavaScript platform) is easily your best bet. You can send 600 emails in under three seconds, whereas PHP would take about half a minute to do the same thing.

Node.js is built using JS, and is quickly become a developer favourite. At our Toronto based web development company, the developers swear by it. Node.js launched in January 2012 and has seen a usage boom of 180% since then.

It’s also the most popular language on GitHub, the open source code repository. 21% of all the code on GitHub involves JavaScript in some way. Ruby, the second most popular, is only found in 13% of the projects on the platform.

From the lightning fast load speeds of JS sites to their simplicity and the beautiful experience they provide, there simply is no reason not to call us today and bring your website to a brand new age.