If you want to become a web developer, you’ll be wondering what programming languages to learn. Not only that, you’ll want to know what languages you should focus on first. Do you start with the easiest ones? Or the most useful ones? Both? With so many options these days, why learn JavaScript?

You’ve no doubt heard that it’s an important web technology, but perhaps you’re not sure if JavaScript is all that relevant these days. With so many frameworks out there providing ready-to-use code, is it really necessary to learn JavaScript from scratch?

In this guide, we’ll explore what JavaScript does and whether or not it’s still useful. We’ll then look at some of the main reasons for learning the language, and consider why it’s necessary to learn plain JavaScript first, before libraries and frameworks.

If you want to skip ahead to a certain section, just use the clickable menu below:

1. What is JavaScript and what does it do?
2. Is it still worth learning JavaScript in 2022?
3. Why learn JavaScript?
4. Why learn vanilla JavaScript first?
5. What’s the best way to learn JavaScript?

So—should you learn JavaScript? Let’s find out.

1. What is JavaScript and what does it do?

Before you start learning something new, it’s important to understand exactly what it is and what it does. This is especially useful when it comes to mastering a new programming language.

In simple terms, 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. You can learn more about the difference between frontend and backend programming in our guide.

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.

If you’re interested in learning more, we’ve covered more examples of what is JavaScript used for, including code in more depth elsewhere. But now that we know some of the array of uses of this twenty five year-old language, why learn JavaScript in 2022?

2. Is it still worth learning JavaScript in 2022?

The world of web development is constantly moving. With so many new tools popping up all the time, it can be extremely difficult to know where you should focus your efforts. As an aspiring developer, you’ll want to make sure that what you’re learning is still relevant in today’s industry.

If you’re having doubts about this language, don’t. It’s important to note that since its creation in 1995 JavaScript is pretty much everywhere on the web—and that’s not likely to change any time soon. According to the 2021 StackOverflow developer survey, it’s the most commonly used programming language for the ninth year in a row.

It is currently used by 94.5% of all websites and, despite originally being designed as a client-side language, JavaScript has now made its way to the server-side of websites (thanks to Node.js), mobile devices (thanks to React Native and Ionic) and desktop (courtesy of Electron).

If you want to kick things off now and get a taste, in this video our resident web developer Abhishek gives you an introduction to JavaScript.As long as people are interacting with the web, you can assume that JS is highly relevant—there’s no doubt that this is a language worth knowing! With that in mind, let’s look at some of the key benefits of becoming a JavaScript expert.