Introduction to JavaScript

JavaScript is the language behind interactive web pages, and it also runs outside the browser through Node.js. Before writing any real code, this module gets you oriented: what the language is, where it runs, and how to actually run something yourself.

Why This Matters

Every lesson after this one assumes you have somewhere to run JavaScript and a rough sense of what the language is for. Get that sorted now, once, so nothing later in the course stalls on setup.

What You’ll Learn

• What JavaScript is used for, and where it runs (browsers and Node.js)
• What a JavaScript engine is, and what “ECMAScript” and “ES6+” mean
• How to run JavaScript in your browser’s console with zero setup
• How to install Node.js and run a script from a file
• Writing and running your first JavaScript program

Outcome

By the end of this module, you’ll have JavaScript running on your machine two different ways, and you’ll have written and executed your first script.

Let’s get started.