Even if you’re not a software or web developer yourself, you’ve probably heard of JavaScript, mainly because it’s so ubiquitous. One of the common uses of JS, is to make web pages interactive, but now, it can do so much more.
At BairesDev, JavaScript software development is one of our specialties. And we’re not the only ones who love the language. Many now-famous businesses rely on JavaScript to help build their widely-used apps. Here’s a rundown of just a handful of the top apps that leverage this important language — and why they rely on it.
Why JavaScript?
Created in 1995, JavaScript is a high-level language that is accessible and easy-to-use for experienced and novice programmers alike. This is one of the reasons behind its enormous popularity — it doesn’t have a steep learning curve and can be readily implemented into a project.
Employing a graphical interface, people without development experience can understand and program in JavaScript. The language is also browser-independent, meaning it operates across a range of browsers including Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Mozilla Firefox. It’s speedy, lightweight, and object-based. And, given its enormous popularity, JavaScript comes with a huge community, resources, and frameworks, including the widely-used React.
JavaScript is the top language for incorporating interactive, engaging elements — both simple and complex — into an app or web page. In fact, it’s one of the most popular languages for front-end development, used for web design and development, mobile app development, enterprise applications, UX and UI, and more.
Apps Created with JavaScript
There are so many apps that were made with or use JavaScript that it’s impossible to list them all here. So, we’ve rounded up just some of the most prominent examples of famous applications across categories like social media and networking, games, entertainment, ride-sharing, and learning that make good use of JavaScript.
Social Media and Networking
Facebook incorporates JavaScript in its arsenal of services and considering all the many interactive features the social media and tech giant offers, this should come as no surprise. But the platform champions the language further. In 2015, Facebook released the now enormously popular JavaScript framework React Native, which facilitates the process of building native apps with React.
The professional networking app LinkedIn also uses JavaScript. In 2012, when it was already well-established, the business released an overhauled application that heavily relied on JavaScript. While the company used other languages in the development of the much-improved app, JavaScript played a large role in crafting the user interface that users have come to know and love.
Games
Used in conjunction with HTML5, JavaScript is making a name for itself in the gaming app space. At BairesDev, we use the Ease JS library, full of graphics, art, 2D image sprites, and much more, as one tool for game development with JavaScript.
Today, more and more frequently, the programming language is used to build popular games like Angry Birds, Bejeweled, and Polycraft. And these are just a few of the many games for which JavaScript is responsible. Thanks to its many tools and libraries, it’s limitless in its ability to create entertaining games.
Entertainment
According to Statista, Netflix was the second most popular video streaming services platform in the United States as of 2019, with only YouTube coming in ahead of it. In 2014, the company sought to redesign its website and app. Its language of choice for front-end development? JavaScript, of course. The framework Node.js made it possible to coordinate front and backend development and reduce the time and effort spent on building the app.
Netflix relies heavily on JavaScript. It even hosts JavaScript Talks on YouTube where they state that “we share our learnings and developments in the world of JavaScript and frontend engineering with the larger JavaScript community.”
Of course, this isn’t the only entertainment platform that makes use of JavaScript. Streaming services competitor Hulu is just one of the many apps that also leverages the language for interactive elements.
Ride-Sharing
Uber is nothing if not interactive. The ride-sharing app has grown significantly since its humble beginnings in 2009. And the magic behind its user-friendly, interactive interface is JavaScript.
All successful companies update their apps at some point, and Uber is no different. Like Netflix, it used Node.js to improve the speed and overall functionality and performance of the app in the next iteration.
Learning Tools
Offering 38 languages and nearly 100 courses, Duolingo is the language-learning tool for becoming proficient in Spanish, English, Japanese, Arabic, Latin, Hebrew, and many other languages. Anyone who has used Duolingo to learn languages or take proficiency tests knows how interactive and visually appealing the app is.
With its signature owl who pops up to urge learners to keep persisting or cheers them on for correct answers, Duolingo makes good use of JavaScript, one of its foundational languages, along with Kotlin, HTML, CSS, Swift, and Scala.
According to some, JavaScript is the most important programming language used in development today. A vast majority of websites use the language to offer interactive, engaging content, and many apps and other products incorporate it as well, including many of the biggest brands in the world, from Facebook to Netflix to Duolingo. These are just some of the companies that believe in the power of JavaScript.
