Learn JavaScript: Best Courses, Books, and Resources for Learning JavaScript

JavaScript is the most used programming language in 2022, according to Statista. Whether you are a coding newbie who wants to start a career in tech or an IT professional who wants to advance your career, you should learn JavaScript.

So, what is JavaScript used for? JavaScript is used to create interactive and dynamic web content across a wide range of industries. Today, web developers and designers use JavaScript to create most of the web pages we all interact with on a daily basis. The telltale sign that JavaScript is used on a page is interactive features. Netflix is a prime example of this.

If you want to learn JavaScript programming, we have the resources to help you. In this guide, we’ve compiled top tips on how to get started with JavaScript. We cover how to learn JavaScript for free, where to learn JavaScript, and resources for advanced coders.

What Is JavaScript?

JavaScript is a scripting language. It allows you to add interactive features to a web page. For instance, JavaScript lets you add animation to a page or load additional data on a page after that page has already loaded. It is usually used with HTML and CSS.

JavaScript is used on both the front- and back-end of websites. So-called “vanilla JavaScript” powers the interactive features you see on the client side. For instance, if you click a button and a dialog box appears, you can bet JavaScript was involved.

Today, there are many frameworks that extend JavaScript. These include React and Angular.js. When you learn JavaScript at an advanced level, you will use these frameworks to develop more complex applications.

What Is JavaScript Used For?

JavaScript is used for adding interactive elements to a web page and building web servers and mobile applications. JavaScript is usually added after the HTML and CSS for a web page, which defines the structure and style of a page, respectively.

What JavaScript is used for within the development stage will depend on the type of content you are creating. For example, more complex websites will require the use of frameworks. Basic interactive sites can be built entirely using JavaScript.

Here are the main purposes of JavaScript:

• To make sites more interactive. JavaScript lets you add features like playing audio and video, interactive menus, animations, and image carousels.
• To build web servers. Backend frameworks like Node.js let you create web servers with JavaScript. This means that you can power both the front end and backend of your site using JavaScript without having to depend on another scripting language for the back end.
• Games development. JavaScript is used to develop many of the in-browser games that you see today, from versions of Solitaire to more complex internet games.

Why Should I Learn JavaScript?

You should learn JavaScript because it is a valuable skill to master in the modern economy. Technology is advancing and growing every day. Websites play an increasing role in how we consume information and entertain ourselves.

Why learn JavaScript? Well, there are plenty of companies that are looking to hire skilled developers. If you learn JavaScript programming, you will have access to lucrative job opportunities. Further benefits of learning JavaScript are:

JavaScript is easy to use

The reason JavaScript is often so favored by new developers is that it is a higher-level language, and so many of the complexities of your code are done by the machine instead of in your code.

JavaScript offers a simple syntax that somewhat resembles the English language, which makes it easy to build strong mental connections to the programming concepts you are covering.

Furthermore, not only is JavaScript easy to use, JavaScript is easy to learn. There are plenty of easy ways to learn JavaScript, from instructional books to coding bootcamps to online video tutorials.

JavaScript is versatile

JavaScript allows you to add many interactive features to a website, from video players to functional buttons to images that change when clicked. But that’s not all. So-called “vanilla JavaScript” (where you only use JavaScript) is only part of coding in JavaScript.

Once you’ve mastered the basics of JavaScript, you can extend your skills and use them to master a library like Angular, Vue.js, and React.js. These technologies are all used for web development in a wide range of different contexts.

When you learn JavaScript, you can use the skills you’ve mastered with a framework like Node.js to build backend web applications. You can also use your JavaScript skills with React Native or another mobile framework to build a mobile app. This adaptability and scalability of the code are some of the main reasons why JavaScript is versatile.

JavaScript developers are in high demand

Whether or not you are looking to start a career in tech today, it is always comforting to know that the skills you are building can be transferred over when needed. In the case of JavaScript, because it is such a crucial part of the Internet, some companies are constantly looking for talented developers with JavaScript proficiency.

Are JavaScript developers in demand? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for web developers is expected to rise by 13% by 2030. While this statistic does not track JavaScript specifically, it does give us a strong indication of how demand for web developers is increasing. If that was not enough, Glassdoor currently has 31,593 jobs for JavaScript developers.

Furthermore, the TIOBE Index, which uses search engine results to estimate the popularity of the main programming languages, currently ranks JavaScript as the seventh most popular programming language.

When taken into account collectively, these facts paint a clear picture of how learning JavaScript can impact your career. In addition, if you specialize in critical skills such as React.js or Node.js, you may even find yourself in even higher demand, as these frameworks grow in popularity and are used in an increasing number of applications.

How Long Does it Take to Learn JavaScript?

It takes between six and nine months to learn JavaScript to the point where you feel comfortable writing your own programs. This assumes you study for about an hour a day. During this time, you will only scratch the surface of JavaScript. It may take you over a year to learn some of the more advanced features.

How long it takes to learn JavaScript depends on your career goals and motivation.

If you learn JavaScript programming with the hopes of becoming a web developer, six to nine months is a good time frame to aim for while studying part-time. But, you may decide to study full-time so that you can accelerate your learning. In this case, you may be able to learn the basics of JavaScript within five or six months.

It can take over a year to master JavaScript and become a professional web developer. However, you will need to keep learning, even once you make this career move. Every year, new frameworks are being released that will help you build more powerful JavaScript applications. Additionally, updates are released for existing frameworks.

Is it Hard to Learn JavaScript?

No, JavaScript is not hard to learn as long as you have a basic understanding of web development. You do not need any prior programming experience to learn JavaScript, although you will need to know how to use HTML and CSS.

You can expect to spend months learning the basics of JavaScript whether or not you are new to programming languages. There will be challenges along the way. However, the wide range of resources available on how to learn JavaScript will ensure you have no trouble finding a solution to the problems you face.

Furthermore, JavaScript has a simple syntax. This means that JavaScript code is easy to read and understand. When code is easy to read and understand, it should not take you long to start identifying coding patterns that you’ll use throughout your JavaScript work.

How to Learn JavaScript: Step-by-Step

There is no one “right way” to learn JavaScript. How to learn JavaScript depends on your preferred style of learning. For example, some learners prefer instructor-led tutorials, whereas others prefer to learn JavaScript programming via online courses. Let’s discuss the high-level journey you should take to learn to code in JavaScript:

Determine your motivation

Before you explore how to learn JavaScript, you should ask yourself why you want to learn JavaScript. These reasons will help you stay motivated, even when you face tough challenges.

If you want to learn to code in JavaScript, it will take time and money. This is not easy for everyone. There will be times when you will struggle and want to give up. This list of reasons for learning JavaScript will keep you motivated and on track, and can also help you track your progress while you learn JavaScript.

Master the fundamentals

Once you have a clear understanding of why you want to learn JavaScript, the next step is to learn the basics of JavaScript. The basics of JavaScript for beginners must not be skipped over or rushed. 

Spend time learning about variables, syntax, if statements, and everything else that beginners need to know. Having a solid foundation of JavaScript fundamentals will ensure beginners to programming will go on to master advanced features.

Build projects

Once you have mastered the fundamentals, you can use projects to learn JavaScript. There is no better way to learn a programming language than to build projects. Decide on a website that you really want to see exist and then use your acquired skills to bring that site to reality.

Building real-world projects gives you vital hands-on experience. Not only will these projects help you to learn JavaScript, but you can use them to build up your technical portfolio. Projects are also a great way to track the progress of your learning journey.

Join a programming community

Online communities like StackOverflow and Dev.to are great places to meet like-minded developers. In these communities, you can seek help from other coders and find everyday examples that may help you learn JavaScript. You will also find excellent programming communities on Slack.

Programming communities can also offer job opportunities. If you showcase your JavaScript skills using these resources, you may get a job offer. Alternatively, you can simply use these communities to advance your JavaScript skills through collaborative advanced projects or by asking questions.

Take on more difficult challenges

Once you have built some basic projects, you may want to think about how you can make them more impressive. Think about how you can make your projects faster or how you can add more features. This is vital if you want to learn JavaScript at an advanced level.

As well as improving your own projects, you should seek out difficult challenges. This will push your knowledge of JavaScript and get you in the habit of thinking about more efficient ways to write code.

Join a coding bootcamp

If you want to learn JavaScript programming at an advanced level we recommend enrolling in a top JavaScript coding bootcamp to truly master the language. These programs offer a great alternative to earning a four-year degree and can be completed in a significantly shorter time.

As well as in-demand skills training, most bootcamps also offer career services that should help you secure employment in related fields. These services often include portfolio building, mock interviews, online profile creation, career partners, and internships. Some coding bootcamps may offer a job guarantee.

Practice, practice, practice

No matter where you are in your learning journey, you must continue to practice your JavaScript skills. This is essential if you want to keep up to date with new technologies and ensure you master the skills you have already learned.

There are numerous ways you can practice JavaScript. For example, if you are enrolled in a bootcamp program you can revise coursework and take on extra projects. If you are a professional developer, you can practice JavaScript by helping junior developers come up with solutions to problems.

How to Learn JavaScript Free

While you can find free in-person courses and other resources, it is optimal to learn JavaScript online for free. That is because numerous online resources will help you learn JavaScript free of charge. If you want to know how to learn JavaScript for free, continue reading.

• Free tutorials. Tutorials can be offered online or in person. Typically, free tutorials are found online, although some schools may offer free introductory JavaScript tutorials to prospective students. JavaScript tutorials are a great way for newcomers to learn JavaScript basics or to get a basic understanding of JavaScript fundamentals.  
• Free bootcamps. Coding bootcamps are short-term, intensive learning programs. They ensure graduates are job ready by teaching in-demand skills through hands-on learning. Free coding bootcamps are ideal for those who want to not only learn JavaScript but also start a career in tech.  
• Free websites. There are plenty of free websites where you can learn JavaScript. These free websites have resources that range from instructional videos to interactive tutorials to full courses.

Where to Learn JavaScript for Free: Websites to Learn JavaScript

The best places to learn JavaScript for free depend on your learning preference. Today, you can learn JavaScript from thousands of video courses and different websites. If you want to know where to learn JavaScript for free, continue reading, as we examine some of the best websites to learn JavaScript at no cost.

freeCodeCamp.org

This website uses real-world projects to help you learn JavaScript for free. Students who successfully build projects through this website will earn certifications with industry recognition. Furthermore, you can find plenty of free tutorial videos on the freeCodeCamp YouTube page, as well as dedicated help and networking opportunities on their free forum.

JavaScript 30

This website is a platform for recent JavaScript graduates to put their coding skills into practice. The projects on this site are aimed at beginner to intermediate developers. You gain instant access to 30 tutorials which each contain a coding challenge. The idea behind JavaScript 30 is that you have 30 days to complete 30 different coding challenges using vanilla JavaScript coding.

JavaScript.info

This is a great website for newcomers to learn JavaScript as it covers everything from basic principles to advanced topics. The website uses text-based articles to help you learn JavaScript programming. The articles are divided into two parts. Part one covers the JavaScript language and part two focuses on working with a browser.

The Best Way to Learn JavaScript Online

The best way to learn JavaScript online is to take advantage of the different types of resources available. These various resources include text-based articles, online tutorials, and instructor-led classes.

While you may have a preferred learning format, exploring different resources can help you advance your JavaScript knowledge. Furthermore, going out of your comfort zone allows you to take on greater challenges.

The Best JavaScript Courses

There are hundreds of JavaScript training classes that cover everything from basic to advanced topics. If you want to know what the best JavaScript training courses are then continue reading. Below, we list some of the best free online JavaScript courses that will help you expand your knowledge of programming languages.

Udemy: Learn to Program in JavaScript: Beginner to Pro

• Price: FREE
• Certificate: Not available

This online JavaScript training course is aimed at making you a great programmer. Some of its main goals are to make sure that you understand the concept of object-orientation. Object-orientation is an important idea within programming.

The course is meant for students who want to learn JavaScript from scratch. However, it is better if you are already familiar with HTML and CSS because these two go hand-in-hand with JavaScript. This JavaScript training course also includes discussions on the possible limitations of JavaScript. This way, you can be aware of how to solve challenges.

edX: JavaScript Introduction

• Price: FREE
• Certificate: Professional Certificate in Front End Developer if you pay $199

Through WC3, this course is part of a program for web developers. Essentially, the end goal is for you to make your website more interactive. This can be achieved if you learn JavaScript programming.

This introductory course will teach you how to add dynamic content and multimedia materials to your website. Through the activities in store, you will discover how powerful this script can be as well as the many tools you can use to your advantage. Modern JavaScript understanding is needed to keep you up-to-date with the changing times.

Learn-JS: JavaScript

• Price: FREE
• Certificate: Not available

Learn-JS is a free database of tutorials on JavaScript and other web development resources. There is a specific tab for JavaScript which contains links to tutorials on topics under it. These JavaScript training classes are self-taught and require your full attention to learn.

The categories are separated between basic and advanced tutorials. Basic tutorials include essentials like learning variables and types, conditions, basic functions, and more. Meanwhile, there are advanced tutorials on Object-Oriented JavaScript, among others.

Coursera: Interactivity with JavaScript

• Price: FREE
• Certificate: Available

As part of a specialization program for web design, this course is designed to teach you how to add interactivity through JavaScript. Interactivity includes functional abilities to auto-fill saved data on a website.

This JavaScript training course takes about nine hours to complete and you must have some knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript before you join this course. The syllabus includes practice quizzes, course videos, industry-led practice exams, and graded assignments with peer feedback.

Udacity: Object-Oriented JavaScript

• Price: FREE
• Certificate: Not available

It takes approximately three weeks to complete this course on basic object-oriented concepts with JavaScript. Web developers will learn how to build applications by making use of reliable code.

The skills you’ll gain through this class will allow you to build objects that encapsulate data and functionality. This course is a step towards ensuring that all elements of the website are accounted for. Interactive quizzes are also available for this JavaScript training course.

Best JavaScript Tutorials for Beginners

JavaScript is a popular programming language used to power many core components of websites. If you want to explore the language further before making a bigger commitment, you should consider the best JavaScript tutorials. Here are some of the best tutorials for JavaScript you can find on the Internet.

Learn JavaScript Full Course for Beginners

freeCodeCamp is a non-profit organization that provides free coding resources to help aspiring developers learn to code, including beginner tutorials. This three-hour-plus YouTube tutorial is an ideal JavaScript beginner tutorial as it introduces you to basic topics to help you get started.

In addition, you will learn about declaring variables, dividing numbers, and accessing array data. The tutorial also covers augmented addition, bracket notation, and variables, among other advanced topics. The tutorial is broken down into 134 parts.

Learn JavaScript

This is a complete tutorial offered by Codecademy, a top coding bootcamp that has given access to thousands of people and helped them launch their careers in tech. Many of Codecademy’s graduates are employed at companies such as Google, NASA, and IBM.

According to its official website, over 1.6 million people have taken this course, which takes about 20 learning hours to complete. You’ll learn about conditional statements, arrow functions, async functions, scope, loops, objects, iterators, and arrays.

This is one of the best JavaScript tutorials available and it features pictures and videos that will help you learn how to code using JavaScript. You can take this course for free, but the paid “pro” version offers several interesting advanced features and perks.

JavaScript – The Complete Guide 2022 (Beginner + Advanced)

Udemy is a popular online course provider utilized by many aspiring programmers hoping to increase their tech skills. Over 110,000 students have taken this particular JavaScript course. It typically costs $89.99 but there are regular sales that heavily discount the price. The only prerequisite is a working computer.

This course is delivered online and features video tutorials from experts. They’ll help you become a JavaScript master in about 52 learning hours. During this time, you’ll learn about testing, security, deployment, manipulating web pages, debugging, variables, and data types.

JavaScript Guide

This is one of the best JavaScript tutorials if you are looking for a step-by-step guide to learn JavaScript. This comprehensive online guide from Mozilla Developers features interactive tutorials to learn the ins and outs of JavaScript.

You’ll study the fundamentals of JavaScript, control flow, error handling, loops, iteration, expressions and operators, functions, numbers, text formatting, and objects. This website also has intermediate and advanced JavaScript guides if you wish to continue your studies after you master the fundamentals.

The Complete JavaScript Course 2022: From Zero to Expert!

This Udemy course will help take you from a JavaScript novice to an expert. Over 650,000 students have taken this paid course and rated the program positively. It takes roughly 69 learning hours to complete, during which you’ll learn JavaScript fundamentals and work on real-world projects.

The course has many videos which serve as excellent tutorials to help you develop your programming skills and learn JavaScript. You don’t need to have any prior experience to take this course but you will need a computer with a Windows, Mac, or Linux operating system.

Best Advanced JavaScript Tutorials

The best advanced JavaScript tutorials are ideal for professionals looking to further their careers and gain access to upper-level jobs. If you want to know how to learn JavaScript at an expert level, continue reading, as we look at the best tutorials to help you learn advanced concepts of JavaScript.

JavaScript the Hard Parts: Asynchronous JavaScript

Codesmith is a top-ranked school that offers immersive software engineering courses across 15 countries and several states in the United States. This YouTube tutorial dives deeper into JavaScript and what it means to be a Javascript engineer.

Key topics covered include the call stack, the event loop, background threads, and the callback queue to help advanced engineers solve asynchronous problems. This free YouTube tutorial is two hours and 36 minutes long. To learn more about this school, check out one of the many Codesmith reviews on Career Karma.

Asynchronous JavaScript with async/await

This course by egghead.io covers the ES2017 async and await keywords to help developers write asynchronous functions. The tutorials are delivered online in video form to help you learn these advanced JavaScript features, but this website also features transcriptions for those who prefer to study text.

JavaScript the Hard Parts: Object-Oriented Programming

Codesmith’s co-founder delivers this free YouTube tutorial designed for experienced programmers. It covers prototypes, factories, classes, constructors, and E5 and E6 approaches. The video is about an hour long and dives into the tough parts of JavaScript that most novice programmers will find challenging.

Understanding JavaScript’s Prototypal Inheritance

This egghead.io course teaches how prototypes work within JavaScript. You’ll also learn how to manipulate prototypes and how factory functions can be used within this programming language. This course is delivered online through video tutorials, but you’ll need a membership subscription before accessing them, which costs $25 a month.

Deploy a Next.js Fullstack App

Full stack web developers can benefit from this tutorial offered by scotch.io. It covers how to develop a full stack Next.js application with Vercel, a deployment platform for front end projects. You’ll learn about static data fetching, API routes, and server-side rendering, among other advanced app development topics.

Best Free Javascript Tutorials

You don’t have to break the bank if you want to learn JavaScript. There are plenty of free JavaScript tutorials for beginner and advanced-level developers. A free JavaScript course is an ideal way to learn fundamental JavaScript knowledge or to learn about new technologies in your spare time.

JavaScript Tutorial

Tutorials Point offers many online tutorials for a wide variety of programming languages. You can learn Python and JavaScript, Swift, and React Native. The JavaScript tutorial course is free to all. While this free JavaScript tutorial is for beginners, it is beneficial to have basic knowledge of HTML coding before tackling the contents of the course.

You’ll learn how to write your first JavaScript code and how to enable JavaScript in modern browsers, among other topics. When you finish, you’ll be able to manipulate HTML pages and be proficient in backend data loading, server applications, and client-side validation.

The Modern JavaScript Tutorial

You can find this free JavaScript course at Javascript.info. You should consider this program if you are looking to understand JavaScript and gain a working knowledge of how this powerful programming language is used within major browsers.

This tutorial features picture tutorials that help beginner students start from scratch and advance to concepts like object-oriented programming (OOP). It covers key topics such as data types, analytics framework, functional programming, prototypes, inheritance, error handling, and objects.

JavaScript Tutorial

W3Schools has helped many aspiring programmers through their online courses. The JavaScript Tutorial course from this school is one of the best free JavaScript tutorials for beginners looking to learn modern web development.

This course has many tutorials and exercises that are designed to nurture your growth from a JavaScript beginner to an advanced JavaScript developer. It also features pictures to give you a visual representation of what efficient code should look like.

Online JavaScript Books

JavaScript is mainly used by developers to make web pages interactive and responsive. Over time, it has become integral to the browser experience, with more and more websites seeking developers to enhance interactivity and improve the overall user experience. Here are some of the best books to learn JavaScript.

JavaScript and JQuery by Jon Duckett

While Jon Duckett is famously known for his book HTML & CSS: Design and Build Websites,  this book is one of the best books to learn JavaScript. It is aimed at people who are new to JavaScript. You’ll learn about topics like the fundamentals of programming, how to write a script, and JavaScript syntax.

This book also talks about JQuery, a modern framework that extends JavaScript with a range of new features. This is a great next step in your learning journey after you feel comfortable with coding in JavaScript.

JavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford

JavaScript: The Good Parts is a great beginner’s introduction to JavaScript development. You’ll find plenty of guides on basic and more advanced JavaScript topics, from variables to conditionals.

What’s more, this book comes with plenty of code snippets. You can use these snippets to gain a firmer understanding of the concepts you are learning about. These snippets are a great tool for those looking to learn JavaScript through books.

Eloquent JavaScript (3rd Edition) by Marijn Haverbeke

Eloquent JavaScript is a comprehensive introduction to the JavaScript language. This book features a range of programming examples and code snippets that you can use to build your understanding of coding in JavaScript.

As you read through this book, you’ll find plenty of hands-on exercises which will help you reinforce your knowledge. The most recent edition of this book, the third edition, features a range of updates that ensure that you’ll be learning modern best practices.

Online JavaScript Resources

Online JavaScript resources offer a flexible learning format to learners. All you need to access these JavaScript resources is a computer and a working Internet connection. Continue reading for some of the best online JavaScript resources available to enthusiasts of all levels.

JavaScript for Cats

JavaScript for Cats is an online tutorial series for the JavaScript programming language. You’ll find resources on topics such as strings, loops, arrays, and built-in JavaScript functions. This series is great if you have no experience with JavaScript and are just getting started. You should be able to get through the tutorial in about an hour or two.

Mozilla JavaScript Tutorials

Mozilla, creators of the Firefox web browser, have an extensive set of documentation on web development. They have an entire section of their documentation dedicated to learning JavaScript.

JavaScript resources include tutorials on everything from loops and variables to meta programming and iterators. Whether you are just getting started or know a lot of JavaScript, you’ll find something useful on the Mozilla site.

Codecademy Learn JavaScript Track

Over 2.8 million people have enrolled in this Codecademy Learn JavaScript online course. This interactive course will walk you through all of the basics of coding in JavaScript, from using conditionals to working with arrays.

Throughout this tutorial, you can expect to work through interactive problems with the help of pre-written code snippets. You’ll walk away from this course with a clear understanding of how to write a basic program in JavaScript.

Should I Learn JavaScript?

Yes, you should learn JavaScript if you are an aspiring web developer. JavaScript is one of the most commonly used languages and it will allow you to make your web pages more complex and interactive. Using JavaScript, you can add features like carousels and animations to your site.

When you first get started, you should focus on the basics of JavaScript. You will learn about syntax, variables, lists, and loops. Then, you can start working on your own projects. This will help reinforce your knowledge of the language. It will only take you a few months to get familiar with the basics of JavaScript, but a significant time investment is needed before you can begin a professional career in JavaScript.

With the knowledge of how to learn JavaScript, the right investment of time and energy, and the various resources listed in this article, you will have tools at your disposal to go from novice to expert. Furthermore, you’ll be able to tackle any challenges you encounter. In no time at all, you will be a new JavaScript coder.

Learn JavaScript FAQ