Introduction To JavaScript

Hey Devs!

It’s time to take action. Today, we begin our true journey into web development by learning about the heart of it all — JavaScript.

But before we dive in, there’s something important to understand: JavaScript is a programming language. And that matters more than you might think.

What is a Programming Language?

A programming language is a way for us to write logic and give instructions to computers. It lets us create systems, control behavior, solve problems, and build real-world applications.

Isn’t JavaScript Just for Interactivity?

This is a common misconception.
Many people think JavaScript is only used to make websites interactive — like clicking buttons, opening menus, or showing pop-ups.

And yes, that’s part of it. But JavaScript is much more than that.

If you master JavaScript, you can:

• Use libraries like ml5.js or TensorFlow.js to build machine learning bots

• Solve Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA) problems

• Build full web applications with both frontend and backend logic

• Work with databases using ORMs and query libraries

• Create server-side applications with Node.js

• And much more

JavaScript is a versatile tool — and it plays a big role in modern development.

What Do We Need to Work on JavaScript?

To run JavaScript on your system, all you need is a browser — and that’s it. JavaScript comes integrated with every browser: Chrome, Edge, Brave, Firefox, Safari — it’s available everywhere, on all devices.

Still, in proper development, we don’t work on a single page or a single file. So using a proper IDE like Sublime Text, Atom, or VS Code is recommended. You can even use Notepad. I will be using VS Code since it’s free and beginner-friendly, but you are free to use any editor you like.

Working with JavaScript

To start working with JavaScript, just create a blank file called index.html.
You can create it anywhere — it doesn’t matter.

Then just open the file in your browser.
Now press F12 or right-click → Inspect.
Then go to the Console tab.

What you have opened right now are the Developer Tools. You can use these tools to inspect the styles of pages, the HTML structure, the network activity, and much more.
But for JavaScript, we will focus on the Console for now.

Writing Your First JavaScript Code

The very first code that every programming instructor teaches is printing "Hello World."

In C, C++, Java, or many other languages, you need boilerplate code before writing any instruction — just like in HTML. But in JavaScript, we don’t need any such setup.
Similar to Python, we can directly write code in the console.

Try typing the following:

console.log("Hello World");

The text inside the double quotes is a string, which is a data type in JavaScript.
You can also print numbers without using strings:

console.log(18);

Try printing different types of data in the console.

You can also show an alert message using the alert() function:

alert("The JS Course has begun!");

Now hit enter, and you'll see an alert message from your browser.

Variables in JavaScript

Now we will learn a bit about something called variables.

Variables in JavaScript are declared using the var, let, or const keywords.
We will learn about these in detail in future blogs. But for now, think of variables as:

A storage place for your data in a program.

It’s not the most technical definition, but it works for what we’re building today.

Try this:

let name = prompt("What is your name?");
alert("Hello, " + name + " - From Team Ujjwalit");

The prompt() method asks you to enter something. The alert() then displays a message using what you typed.

We used the variable name outside of the string. Strings print exactly what you write, but to access a variable's value, you need to write it without quotes.

And just like that, you’ve written your first JavaScript code.

It might not seem like much right now, but every small step matters.

Why Learn JavaScript?

Of course, JavaScript isn’t the only programming language out there.

You can:

• Learn Java for backend frameworks like Spring Boot

• Use Python with Flask or Django

• Explore other languages like Go, Rust, Ruby, and many more

But here’s why JavaScript stands out:

Modern tech stacks heavily rely on TypeScript, which is essentially JavaScript with strict typing and cleaner syntax.

And the most in-demand frontend frameworks and libraries — like React, Vue, Angular, and Next.js — are all based on JavaScript.

So learning JavaScript gives you access to a massive ecosystem of tools and career opportunities.

Is JavaScript Hard?

Not really.

Compared to languages like C++, C, or even Java, JavaScript is much easier to understand and more forgiving for beginners.

Sure, some parts might seem confusing at first — but that’s true with any language.
The key is to practice, experiment, and most importantly, think deeply about what you're learning and how you can apply it.

And don’t worry — I’ll be with you every step of the way.
Stick with me, and we’ll break it all down together.

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See you in the next blog. Until then, keep practicing and happy learning!