Is JavaScript still worth learning?

Yes, JavaScript is still worth learning. It’s the only programming language web browsers run natively, Node.js runs it on servers, and it’s one of the most popular languages in the world. That means lots of jobs and libraries, and what you learn carries straight over to TypeScript and to frameworks like React.

I was searching for some JavaScript related questions on Google when I noticed Google suggesting me in the “People also ask” box some questions I thought pretty funny:

Those got my attention.

Clicking the answer led me to a reassuring answer, as I expected without a doubt. But I also had my own thoughts on the topic, so I thought “let me write them”!

Let’s get it straight: JavaScript is more alive than ever.

JavaScript has never been more popular than today. And it’s never been more powerful than today.

When I started learning about JS in the late 90’s, the vast majority of the developers used it to make snow rain on the website at Christmas, show alert and dialog boxes, and do all weird kinds of effects. It was kinda fun, but only the pros would use it to create things more complicated than a poll or something.

When I got into JS seriously in 2012-2013, JS was much more serious. Gmail, Google Maps and other thick client applications showed us all what was possible with JavaScript. Node.js was just starting to become popular but the number of people using it in production was thin.

Nowadays many people learn JavaScript as their first and only programming language. And they might never learn another one for years, because I’d say that thanks to being the only language that works inside Web browsers, JavaScript is the most popular and powerful language in the entire world.

If anyone tells you any different, maybe it’s because their favorite programming language is much less popular and they hope one day people stop using JS and use the one they invested so much into :)

Is JavaScript worth learning now that AI writes code?

Yes. I use coding agents most of the day, and they write a lot of JavaScript and TypeScript for me. Knowing the language is what lets me use them well.

The agent writes the code fast. I still have to read it, review the diff, and notice when it does something wrong or far more complicated than needed. An agent can add a dependency you don’t need, forget an await, or put a bug in a React component’s state, and the code still looks fine at a glance.

You can’t review code you don’t understand. So the value moved from typing JavaScript to reading it and judging it, and you only get there by learning the language.

What can you build with JavaScript?

Most of what runs on the web, and a lot outside it:

• websites and web apps, in the browser
• servers and APIs, with Node.js, Bun or Deno
• desktop apps, with Electron
• mobile apps, with React Native
• command line tools

You learn one language, and you can move between the frontend, the backend and your own tools without starting over.

Should you learn JavaScript or TypeScript?

Start with JavaScript. TypeScript is JavaScript with types on top, so everything you learn carries over, and the types make more sense once you know what they describe.

Most new web projects use TypeScript today, so add it once you’re comfortable with the basics.

Is JavaScript a good first language?

I think it’s a great one, because you only need a browser to write your first program and see it run. I explained why in why JavaScript is great for beginners. If you’re choosing between the two most common first languages, read JavaScript or Python?.

Where to start

My free JavaScript course starts from the fundamentals, then covers arrays, objects, functions, modules, asynchronous code and the browser. It’s the order I’d learn it in today.

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