- What language is JavaScript written in?
- Sergio
- People also ask
- 2 Answers
- Seth Carnegie
- Javascript – What language is JavaScript written in
- Best Solution
- Related Solutions
- Uses of Closures
- Private Instance Variables
- Functional Programming
- Event-Oriented Programming
- Modularization
- Examples
- Example 1
- Example 2
- Example 3
- Final points:
- Links
- What language is JavaScript written in?
- Sergio
- People also ask
- 2 Answers
- Seth Carnegie
What language is JavaScript written in?
If it’s a scripting language as the name implies it must be written in a lower level language right? Like how PHP is written in C what language is JavaScript written in?
Sergio
People also ask
Yes, you guessed it — JavaScript is written in C++. To be precise, the engines that drive the most popular JavaScript engines (V8 within Google Chrome and Node, Chakra for Microsoft and SpiderMonkey for Mozilla products) are mainly compiled from a C++ code base.
The JavaScript programming language, developed by Netscape, Inc., is not part of the Java platform.
JavaScript was developed at Netscape. It was originally called LiveScript, but that name wasn’t confusing enough. The -Script suffix suggests that it is not a real programming language, that a scripting language is less than a programming language. But it is really a matter of specialization.
Python object-based is nearly equal to JavaScript, and python supports a programming style that uses simple functions and variables. JavaScript is the most complex modern programming language compared to python. Python and JavaScript both use a lexical scope with small differences.
2 Answers
Javascript is just a standard, more formally known as ECMAScript. It can be implemented in any language, just like any standard.
Chrome’s Javascript engine, V8, is written in C++.
V8 is written in C++ and is used in Google Chrome, the open source browser from Google.
V8 implements ECMAScript as specified in ECMA-262, 5th edition, and runs on Windows (XP or newer), Mac OS X (10.5 or newer), and Linux systems that use IA-32, x64, or ARM processors.
Firefox’s Javascript engine, SpiderMonkey (and now TraceMonkey) is also written in C++. And as maerics below said, Rhino is written in Java.
Seth Carnegie
All the answers so far are correct, but since it hasn’t been mentioned yet, JavaScript can be written in JavaScript.
Javascript – What language is JavaScript written in
If it’s a scripting language as the name implies it must be written in a lower level language right? Like how PHP is written in C what language is JavaScript written in?
Best Solution
Javascript is just a standard, more formally known as ECMAScript. It can be implemented in any language, just like any standard.
Chrome’s Javascript engine, V8, is written in C++.
V8 is written in C++ and is used in Google Chrome, the open source browser from Google.
V8 implements ECMAScript as specified in ECMA-262, 5th edition, and runs on Windows (XP or newer), Mac OS X (10.5 or newer), and Linux systems that use IA-32, x64, or ARM processors.
Firefox’s Javascript engine, SpiderMonkey (and now TraceMonkey) is also written in C++. And as maerics below said, Rhino is written in Java.
Related Solutions
Javascript – How to create a GUID / UUID
[Edited 2021-10-16 to reflect latest best-practices for producing RFC4122-complaint UUIDs]
Most readers here will want to use the uuid module. It is well-tested and supported.
The crypto.randomUUID() function is an emerging standard that is supported in Node.js and an increasing number of browsers.
If neither of those work for you, there is this method (based on the original answer to this question):
function uuidv4() < return ([1e7]+-1e3+-4e3+-8e3+-1e11).replace(/[018]/g, c =>(c ^ crypto.getRandomValues(new Uint8Array(1))[0] & 15 >> c / 4).toString(16) ); > console.log(uuidv4());
Note: The use of any UUID generator that relies on Math.random() is strongly discouraged (including snippets featured in previous versions of this answer) for reasons best-explained here. TL;DR: Math.random()-based solutions do not provide good uniqueness guarantees.
Javascript – How do JavaScript closures work
A closure is a pairing of:
A lexical environment is part of every execution context (stack frame) and is a map between identifiers (ie. local variable names) and values.
Every function in JavaScript maintains a reference to its outer lexical environment. This reference is used to configure the execution context created when a function is invoked. This reference enables code inside the function to «see» variables declared outside the function, regardless of when and where the function is called.
If a function was called by a function, which in turn was called by another function, then a chain of references to outer lexical environments is created. This chain is called the scope chain.
In the following code, inner forms a closure with the lexical environment of the execution context created when foo is invoked, closing over variable secret :
function foo() < const secret = Math.trunc(Math.random()*100) return function inner() < console.log(`The secret number is $.`) > > const f = foo() // `secret` is not directly accessible from outside `foo` f() // The only way to retrieve `secret`, is to invoke `f`
In other words: in JavaScript, functions carry a reference to a private «box of state», to which only they (and any other functions declared within the same lexical environment) have access. This box of the state is invisible to the caller of the function, delivering an excellent mechanism for data-hiding and encapsulation.
And remember: functions in JavaScript can be passed around like variables (first-class functions), meaning these pairings of functionality and state can be passed around your program: similar to how you might pass an instance of a class around in C++.
If JavaScript did not have closures, then more states would have to be passed between functions explicitly, making parameter lists longer and code noisier.
So, if you want a function to always have access to a private piece of state, you can use a closure.
. and frequently we do want to associate the state with a function. For example, in Java or C++, when you add a private instance variable and a method to a class, you are associating state with functionality.
In C and most other common languages, after a function returns, all the local variables are no longer accessible because the stack-frame is destroyed. In JavaScript, if you declare a function within another function, then the local variables of the outer function can remain accessible after returning from it. In this way, in the code above, secret remains available to the function object inner , after it has been returned from foo .
Uses of Closures
Closures are useful whenever you need a private state associated with a function. This is a very common scenario — and remember: JavaScript did not have a class syntax until 2015, and it still does not have a private field syntax. Closures meet this need.
Private Instance Variables
In the following code, the function toString closes over the details of the car.
function Car(manufacturer, model, year, color) < return < toString() < return `$$ ($, $)` > > > const car = new Car('Aston Martin','V8 Vantage','2012','Quantum Silver') console.log(car.toString())
Functional Programming
In the following code, the function inner closes over both fn and args .
function curry(fn) < const args = [] return function inner(arg) < if(args.length === fn.length) return fn(. args) args.push(arg) return inner >> function add(a, b) < return a + b >const curriedAdd = curry(add) console.log(curriedAdd(2)(3)()) // 5
Event-Oriented Programming
In the following code, function onClick closes over variable BACKGROUND_COLOR .
const $ = document.querySelector.bind(document) const BACKGROUND_COLOR = 'rgba(200,200,242,1)' function onClick() < $('body').style.background = BACKGROUND_COLOR >$('button').addEventListener('click', onClick)
Modularization
In the following example, all the implementation details are hidden inside an immediately executed function expression. The functions tick and toString close over the private state and functions they need to complete their work. Closures have enabled us to modularise and encapsulate our code.
let namespace = <>; (function foo(n) < let numbers = [] function format(n) < return Math.trunc(n) >function tick() < numbers.push(Math.random() * 100) >function toString() < return numbers.map(format) >n.counter = < tick, toString >>(namespace)) const counter = namespace.counter counter.tick() counter.tick() console.log(counter.toString())
Examples
Example 1
This example shows that the local variables are not copied in the closure: the closure maintains a reference to the original variables themselves. It is as though the stack-frame stays alive in memory even after the outer function exits.
function foo() < let x = 42 let inner = function() < console.log(x) >x = x+1 return inner > var f = foo() f() // logs 43
Example 2
In the following code, three methods log , increment , and update all close over the same lexical environment.
And every time createObject is called, a new execution context (stack frame) is created and a completely new variable x , and a new set of functions ( log etc.) are created, that close over this new variable.
function createObject() < let x = 42; return < log() < console.log(x) >, increment() < x++ >, update(value) < x = value >> > const o = createObject() o.increment() o.log() // 43 o.update(5) o.log() // 5 const p = createObject() p.log() // 42
Example 3
If you are using variables declared using var , be careful you understand which variable you are closing over. Variables declared using var are hoisted. This is much less of a problem in modern JavaScript due to the introduction of let and const .
In the following code, each time around the loop, a new function inner is created, which closes over i . But because var i is hoisted outside the loop, all of these inner functions close over the same variable, meaning that the final value of i (3) is printed, three times.
function foo() < var result = [] for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) < result.push(function inner() < console.log(i) >) > return result > const result = foo() // The following will print `3`, three times. for (var i = 0; i
Final points:
- Whenever a function is declared in JavaScript closure is created.
- Returning a function from inside another function is the classic example of closure, because the state inside the outer function is implicitly available to the returned inner function, even after the outer function has completed execution.
- Whenever you use eval() inside a function, a closure is used. The text you eval can reference local variables of the function, and in the non-strict mode, you can even create new local variables by using eval(‘var foo = …’) .
- When you use new Function(…) (the Function constructor) inside a function, it does not close over its lexical environment: it closes over the global context instead. The new function cannot reference the local variables of the outer function.
- A closure in JavaScript is like keeping a reference (NOT a copy) to the scope at the point of function declaration, which in turn keeps a reference to its outer scope, and so on, all the way to the global object at the top of the scope chain.
- A closure is created when a function is declared; this closure is used to configure the execution context when the function is invoked.
- A new set of local variables is created every time a function is called.
Links
- Douglas Crockford’s simulated private attributes and private methods for an object, using closures.
- A great explanation of how closures can cause memory leaks in IE if you are not careful.
- MDN documentation on JavaScript Closures.
Related Question
What language is JavaScript written in?
If it’s a scripting language as the name implies it must be written in a lower level language right? Like how PHP is written in C what language is JavaScript written in?
Sergio
People also ask
Yes, you guessed it — JavaScript is written in C++. To be precise, the engines that drive the most popular JavaScript engines (V8 within Google Chrome and Node, Chakra for Microsoft and SpiderMonkey for Mozilla products) are mainly compiled from a C++ code base.
The JavaScript programming language, developed by Netscape, Inc., is not part of the Java platform.
JavaScript was developed at Netscape. It was originally called LiveScript, but that name wasn’t confusing enough. The -Script suffix suggests that it is not a real programming language, that a scripting language is less than a programming language. But it is really a matter of specialization.
Python object-based is nearly equal to JavaScript, and python supports a programming style that uses simple functions and variables. JavaScript is the most complex modern programming language compared to python. Python and JavaScript both use a lexical scope with small differences.
2 Answers
Javascript is just a standard, more formally known as ECMAScript. It can be implemented in any language, just like any standard.
Chrome’s Javascript engine, V8, is written in C++.
V8 is written in C++ and is used in Google Chrome, the open source browser from Google.
V8 implements ECMAScript as specified in ECMA-262, 5th edition, and runs on Windows (XP or newer), Mac OS X (10.5 or newer), and Linux systems that use IA-32, x64, or ARM processors.
Firefox’s Javascript engine, SpiderMonkey (and now TraceMonkey) is also written in C++. And as maerics below said, Rhino is written in Java.
Seth Carnegie
All the answers so far are correct, but since it hasn’t been mentioned yet, JavaScript can be written in JavaScript.