The programming language of the web, used to make websites interactive and, with Node.js, to build servers and tools.
JavaScript was created by Brendan Eich at Netscape in 1995 and quickly became the only language that runs natively in every web browser. It powers interactive features such as dropdown menus, form validation, live updates, maps, and entire single-page applications.
With the arrival of Node.js in 2009, JavaScript moved beyond the browser to servers, command-line tools, and desktop apps. Its ecosystem is enormous, with libraries and frameworks such as React, Vue, Angular, and Express, and packages shared through npm. JavaScript is dynamically typed, which makes it flexible but can let bugs slip through, so many teams use TypeScript, a typed superset that compiles to JavaScript. The language is standardized as ECMAScript.
An open-source runtime that lets developers run JavaScript outside the browser, commonly used to build servers and tools.
ReactAn open-source JavaScript library for building user interfaces out of reusable components, originally developed at Facebook.
TypeScriptA programming language developed by Microsoft that adds static types to JavaScript and compiles to plain JavaScript.
WebAssemblyA compact binary format that lets code written in languages like C++, Rust, and Go run in web browsers at near-native speed.
A step-by-step software engineering roadmap with skills, milestones and realistic timelines, plus how to land your first developer role with or without a degree.
A month-by-month plan to learn to code for free with freeCodeCamp, The Odin Project, CS50x and MDN, plus projects that keep you accountable.
AI is reshaping tech roles, but strong fundamentals still win jobs. Here are the skills employers are prioritising in 2026 and a practical plan to build them.