People who are aimed at entering the web development industry usually cannot evade getting to know JavaScript. This programming language allows you to implement complex things like animated graphics or video jukebox on web pages and is one of the three pillars of front-end. Moreover, with the advent of Node.js, the expertise in JavaScript became as valuable as never before because of the back-end expansion. However, students aimed at learning JS may have their own reasons to opt for this popular language. Anyhow, they seek sources to glean the knowledge and here they can find some options worthwhile to be added to the personal list of references.
Books
When going in for a particular set of sources to learn anything, it is better to follow the advice of a competent professional or a team. In terms of the best JavaScript books, there is a decent selection made by Railsware, a reputable web development company with 10+ years of experience. Other companies also share their opinion as for which publication deserves the students’ attention. Let’s check some of the most prominent options.
The first place is occupied by one of Amazon’s best-sellers – “JavaScript: The Definitive Guide: Activate Your Web Pages”. Though there is a rhino on the cover, the “JavaScript” title beneath it shows that you haven’t missed the bookshelf. The book came out seven years ago but is still in high demand among the JS-aimed students. However, age is taking its toll and something in this work by David Flanagan may be outdated. An apparent example is the lack of ECMAScript 2015, which is one of the key updates characterized by adding syntax novelties and versatile features like arrow functions, promises, binary data, etc. Perhaps, the author will draw proper conclusions, and we’ll see an updated edition of this great work in the future.
And Marijn Haverbeke decided not to keep putting off the update and introduced the third edition of his “Eloquent JavaScript”. Actually, this revised and updated introduction to programming in JS is meant particularly for first-timers. All previous editions are packed with extensive examples to immerse the reader in code from the start. The updated one is not an exception. It reflects the current state of the language and adjacent technologies. Those who might have read the editions No. 1 and 2 would be surprised with new exercises to test skills during learning.
To close the top three books, we included the work by John Larsen titled “Get Programming with JavaScript”. The best thing about this book is that it guides the reader through the development of a text-based computer game. The focus is made on that category of the readers who have never programmed. Nevertheless, this gap will be filled after reading.
Online resources
We’re done with books both electronic and printed ones. Now, let’s discover some web resources which include online books, courses, tutorials and so on. And there is no better beginning than with cats. That’s not a misprint – JavaScript For Cats does exist. It is an online book where you can learn about values and variables, loops, callbacks, and other things related to the language. Why cats? Who knows, but it is claimed that the book is so easy your human companion could do it, too. In the Recommended reading chapter, there is a list of some worth-to-learn resources with NodeSchool at the top. It is an open-source project aimed at creating a high-quality programming curriculum and hosting JS-related learning events. Here the students will find a bunch of in-person hosted workshops that help attendees work through the challenges. As a rule, most of the workshoppers (it is the way they call lesson modules) are free.
Another free learning option is Learn-JS.org. It is an interactive JavaScript tutorial suitable for both experienced programmers and newbies. The content reminds that of cats, but this tutorial is focused on practice to a greater extent. Besides, the readers can exercise coding directly on the website and see the output.
Those who spare no expense on mastering their skills can always visit Udemy and seek out a JS-dedicated course. We saved your search time expenses and picked two best options among the existing ones.
“The Complete JavaScript Course 2018: Build Real Projects!” deserves to be on top due to a high rating (4.6 stars) and an enormous amount of students enrolled (almost 145K). The course consists of 164 lectures spread out within 28 hours. The learning starts with basics and ends with bonus lectures such as for the Node.js crash course.
The next course on our list has a very similar naming – “The Complete JavaScript Course – Beginner to Professional”. However, it is five hours long and contains 167 articles. As for the requirements, you can do it with a text editor. Any programming skills are not necessary since this course is meant to deliver them to attendees.
