6 Advantages and Disadvantages of JavaScript | Limitations and Benefits of JavaScript

Developed by Netscape, JavaScript is a Client side scripting language which is used to build web applications. It is present as .JS file. JavaScript allows websites to show both dynamic and interactive features. Instead of an application, JavaScript is executed in a browser. 

If there is any application built using the JavaScript language, it could successfully launch in a web browser. But you must remember that not all the sites support JavaScript language. Any person who visits these webpages will be able to view the JavaScript codes through the source page. The code can be found anywhere within the HTML. 

JavaScript has gained popularity to such an extent that even small companies have adopted this for their application development. Al though there are many reasons why JavaScript is superior compared to other programming languages, it is still with some drawbacks. As a programmer, you must carefully weigh the pros and cons before deciding to use JavaScript.

This article concentrates on 6 Advantages and Disadvantages of JavaScript | Limitations and Benefits of JavaScript. Through this post, you will know the pros and cons of JavaScript.

Let's get started,

Advantages of JavaScript

1. Speed

JavaScript is based on client-side-script. No servers are involved in the interpretation of JavaScript language. Instead, the execution takes place directly in the client's web browser. Since there is no involvement of backend server, it results in considerably fast execution. The speed of application processing will be higher than expected.

2. Learning Curve

JavaScript is a language which is easy to learn. In fact it is more simpler than majority of other programming languages. Once you have opened notepad, you can start writing its code. Both JavaScript and Java share similar syntax. It includes DOM models which comes with added functionalities. This is considered as an advantages for web development companies because finding JavaScript developers is a hassle free process.

3. Functionality

JavaScript supports the functions of third party Add-ons to better enhance the functionality of this language. For an example, it comes with wide range of extensions, tools and libraries that aims to facilitate the development process. Moreover, JavaScript improves user interface attractiveness by making use of functions like drag & drop. Other functions like 2D or 3D animated graphics, content updates, sliders also exist in JavaScript.

4. Flexibility

There are more than one method available to incorporate JavaScript into a webpage. Merely, by using only JavaScript you can develop a JavaScript application from the scratch. However, the frontend and backend development process requires you to use other frameworks and databases like AngularJS, React JS, Mango DB and MySQL.

5. Server Dependency

As mentioned earlier, the execution of JavaScript takes place on the client side. Therefore, there is no requirement of sending any data for the server. This makes the server free of JavaScript loads. Thus, it can focus on improving its data management capabilities. And, if the website experiences discrepancies, only a portion of the page is updated rather than reloading the entire website.

6. Popularity

Similar to PHP, JavaScript is also a language widely used in web development. Almost all the websites you see on the internet utilizes JavaScript. Even largest tech giants like Google and Amazon make use of JavaScript. In addition to that, many other framework companies support JavaScript for backend and frontend development. Angular framework from Google and React.js from Facebook are some of the examples.

Disadvantages of JavaScript

1. Security

The source code of JavaScript is visible for everyone. So without the consent of the developer, anyone can use them for unauthorized purposes. There is also a possibility of placing illegal codes to a webpage. This clearly shows that security of webpages using JavaScript is often compromised.

 

2. Browser Support

Even though JavaScript is supported by most browsers, the code executes differently depending on the browser. But the difference is slightly noticeable in the form of functional output. The responsibility lies upon the developer to write codes that freely supports any browser without showing errors.

3. Fault Tolerance

Webpages are extremely sensitive to errors. One single error in the JavaScript codebase, will halt the rendering process.

4. Debugging Function

Although JavaScript comes with a code editor for the purpose of debugging, it doesn't function up to the level of other programming language editors. Since the debugging function is not much effective, it makes it difficult to identify errors. So often when clients launch a JavaScript program, they will be greeted with an error.

5. Multiple Inheritance

An Object Oriented principle known as Multiple Inheritance is present in programming languages like C++, Python and Curl. Unfortunately, this feature is absent in JavaScript. If there is multiple class parents or objects, Multiple inheritances can inherit features from them. In JavaScript, inheritance is only allowed for a single class or object.

6. Disabling Option

Not all the people are comfortable with JavaScript due to its vulnerabilities. Many browsers provide the option to disable JavaScript. Browsers that has disabled JavaScript will fail to run the code or else crash. The result of this can be seen while visiting any site that has incorporated JavaScript.