If you want to know why JavaScript is one of the most popular programming languages in the world, what Single Page Application is and how to develop MVP in JavaScript without back end, this article is for you.
The History of JavaScript
Let’s go back in time a little bit, to the 1990s, in United States of America. The world is going crazy over technology, people’s lives are changing rapidly. EVERYONE wants to own a computer. For technology industry, that was their time to shine, but you had to be quick, certainly quicker than the competition. So what do you do?
In 1990, Sun Microsystems Company deputed a team of developers to create a new language. It was going to be better than C or C++, since both of them had troubles with their performance on newer computers. That’s how they came up with Oak. The name had to be changed, due to already existing language with that name. Its new name was chosen while getting a coffee from a store, coffee called Java. That’s also the reason why Java has a cup of coffee as its logo. Interesting, right?
What has Java to do with JavaScript?
No, I haven’t mistaken Java with JavaScript. There is a reason why JavaScript is called that way. Netscape Communications is the inventor of a web browser called Netscape Navigator. After talking to Sun Microsystems, they wanted to add Java support to their browser to be able to compete against Microsoft. It turned out to be impossible to do this successfully so they started working on a new language. Brendan Eich, founder of this new language, called it LiveScript. Sun Microsystems still wanted to use Java so they came to an agreement. Netscape was going to rename LiveScript to JavaScript. It turned out to not only solve the conflict, but also, to be very beneficial for Netscape, because Java was very popular at that time. Java and JavaScript were two completely different things but creating this name similarity was a well thought marketing move to shift a market dominance towards them both.
Lowering the costs with JavaScript
Are you looking for a way to produce a good web app without having to spend a ton of money? JavaScript development is your way to go. Creating an app can be really expensive and usually it’s not what your whole business is about. Whether it is just a tool for your company or a part of your marketing strategy to promote your business better, you can count on JavaScript. It will be not only enough but also cheaper than other languages. Why? That’s pretty simple actually.
First of all, most of JavaScript frameworks allow developers to use already made components and modules. It makes the developing process shorter and what comes with that, cheaper. Developers often use elements from different apps they’ve previously created. A lot of parts of your app can be a matter of copy and paste. For instance, let’s say you’re interested in using Angular framework. You can choose a software company that specializes in that front-end technology. It’s probably gonna shorten the length of the project and cut the costs of it to minimum. Angular also has a lot of components implemented by both Google and its large community. Javascript development is also easier due to a large amount of code available online so there’s no need to write whole modules by themselves.
Furthermore, JavaScript development is really easy to learn and usually it’s the first language developers start coding in. If your app doesn’t require a lot of elements, you can easily give it to a junior developer. He’s obviously not gonna charge you with millions for their job. It’s a win-win situation, you get an app and save some money.
Lastly, if you need a full-stack developer, you might only need someone who knows Node.js well. They can write a whole app using only JavaScript by using Node.js for a back-end and any other framework for a front-end. It’s definitely gonna lower the costs of your project.
Developing MVP in JavaScript
So why is JavaScript development so beneficial when it comes to MVPs? If you want to test out whether your idea has potential, probably everyone’s going to advise you to start with MVP (Minimum Viable Product). It’s that kind of a product that has the most important features to satisfy your customers. At the same time it is simple and basic enough that you don’t have to invest a lot in it. It allows you to test waters before going all in.
Let’s start with front-end only MVP. How? It’s pretty simple. At the beginning you’re not gonna need to have your own back-end system. For starters, you might not even need it at all. In other words, JavaScript allows your app to work with only front-end. If you need some back-end you can implement some already available solutions, like storing your data on a cloud. That’s definitely going to make your MVP simpler and cheaper but still working very well. However, you don’t need to have the whole web app written in JavaScript. You can only add a few modules that are needed, but it’s definitely beneficial to consider using it.
Single Page Applications in JavaScript
Let’s talk about Single Page Application now. That is a true game changer when it comes to web apps. Even though it’s not a new discovery, only recently it started becoming more popular.
SPAs literally work like a desktop app, it’s that fast. Curious to know how? It’s pretty simple actually, the whole app is created as if it’s a single page. Therefore, when the user clicks to open the site, the whole code is being transferred to the clients side at once. After that, every command is being performed instantly without the need to send the request to the server.
Downloading or sending data from and to the server is going to happen only for dynamic elements of the app, like chat window or a graph. Therefore, there’s no need to reload the site, so even if you lose your internet connection for a second, the side is still going to work and react to your commands.
After the connection is recovered, all of the collected data is going to be send to the server without losing any.
Last but not least, JavaScript is a client-side scripting language, which means that it works directly on a web browser. Thanks to that, there’s no need to communicate with the server and every command is being performed on the users side. This makes the site work faster, be a lot more efficient, perform better while keeping the server away from overstretching.
Summary
If performance is the most important factor for you, while creating a web app, be sure to consider JavaScript development. We can advice you on your project and choose the best option for you.
