This Thanksgiving season, I'm especially grateful for Javascript. Since its announcement in December 1995(Javascript's birthday is actually this week!), it has brought life to the web.
Long gone, however, are the days where all Javascript did was spice up some HTML pages. Today, virtually anything can be done with Javascript. Let's highlight some of the amazing things that you may not have known are possible with JS.
1. Native Desktop Apps with Electron
To start off, plenty of offline, native desktop apps are actually built with Javascript, usually with Electron or the Chromium Embedded Framework. In fact, some of your favorite desktop applications, including VScode, Spotify, and Slack, are all built using Javascript.
2. Machine Learning
While Javascript and Machine Learning may not be two things that are often put together in the same sentence. Alas, many in the Machine Learning community have found a home in Javascript.
Libraries like Tensorflow.js allow people to easily create, train, and use machine learning models all in Javascript.
3. VR Websites
If you've been keeping up with our blog, you'll know about Aframe.io, one of many libraries that now allow you to build VR websites with the power of Javascript.
4. Mobile Development
Okay, this one may not be that surprising to many of you. Regardless, frameworks like React Native allow you to build native mobile apps all with Javascript. React Native has grown massively in popularity over the past couple of years, primarily because it's empowered those from a Web Development background to enter the world of app development.
Interested in learning how to get started with React Native? Let us know down below and we'll get to work on a tutorial!
5. Quantum Computing
Yes - you can simulate quantum computers in Javascript - well sort of. Obviously running Javascript on your Macbook isn't going to suddenly give you the power of a Quantum computer.
Nevertheless, if you're looking to play around with Quantum circuits and get your hands dirty with Quantum Computing look no further than Q.js
6. Trade Stocks
While Javascript is rarely used professionally (firms usually opt for lower-level languages which are faster), Javascript can in fact be used to trade stocks.
In fact, we wrote an article showing you just how easy it is to write trading algorithms using APIs. You can check out an article we wrote using Python here, but the exact same API can be used with Javascript!
7. Game Development
Though Browser Games certainly don't have the prominence they once had, they are far from dead. There are loads of Javascript libraries that you can use to create complex games that run right out of the browser. Some of our personal favorites are MelonJS and ImpactJS.
8. Smart Watch w/ Bangle.js
Bangle is a programmable, open-source, smartwatch, running completely on Javascript. BangleJS was created by programmer Gordon Williams, who took an off-the-shelf smartwatch, reverse engineered it, and installed a javascript interpreter to create the first batch of BangleJS smartwatches.
In fact, the Smart Watch runs on Espruino, an open-source Javascript interpreter for microcontrollers also created by Williams. Using Espruino, you can really use Javascript to get many electronics running Javascript!
9. Building dApps and Smart Contracts for Ethereum
While we spoke a number of weeks ago about building Decentralized Databases with GunJS, Javascript can also be used to directly interact with the Ethereum Blockchain. This means that you can make Ethereum dApps and Smart Contacts with libraries like Ethers.js
10. A Web IDE
Finally, at Codesphere, we're using Javascript (mostly Typescript) to build an all-in-one Web IDE and Cloud Platform. Using Web Technologies, we're able to bring the full power of the cloud to any person with a working browser. Give us a try and let us know what you think!
What unconventional Javascript application did we leave out? Let us know down below! Happy Coding!
Top comments (5)
Please do the React Native tutorial! :)
JavaScript is a powerhouse 🚀
Yes, if you are new to JS and dev at all, you don't know Electron, RN, Phaser and others, React for VR, etc ......
Well it is possible to code Arduino with JS :)
There is "JavaScript Espruino" but I never heard about JS for Arduino.