JavaScript: The most popular language in the Ethereum World

We all might know of Javascript as the key language that powers the world wide web, and javascript developers are globally required. Along with HTML and CSS, Javascript makes up over 97 percent of the websites on the client’s side and constructs their web page behavior. Many people who are not much into technology and programming, tend to confuse Java and Javascript as two branches of one language system. But, the similarities end in the name. Both these languages are very distinct from each other.

Also, as much as JS is at the core of web browsers and pages, it is also the most popular language in the world of Ethereum. Yes, this blockchain platform that also has one of the most popular cryptocurrencies, Ether, on its network uses Javascript for many of its developmental processes.

Though before we dive into the nitty-gritties of Ethereum blockchain development with Javascript and its libraries, it will be interesting to take a small stroll through the history of this language. It was the December of 1995 when Javascript was launched after a couple of years of hard work to make web pages dynamic. A Netscape corporation employee, Brendan Eich was responsible for the creation of Javascript. With years of adoption and modifications that were solely focused on web browsers, the advent of Node.js runtime environment in 2009 sparked the use of JS outside of the web browser.

In the world of Ethereum

If you know what blockchain technology is, then you must have heard terms like Ethereum, smart contracts, decentralized apps, etc at some point in time. But to fully understand the extent of Javascript’s impact on these technologies you must at least have a fair idea about them.

1. Ethereum – It is a blockchain network that supports other ideas like Smart contracts and decentralized apps to run on it. It is also known for running one of the most popular cryptocurrencies in the world, Ether. The transactions on this network are accomplished with the use of Ethereum’s native cryptocurrency.
2. Smart Contracts – This is a revolutionary technology working on the Ethereum network with a variety of use cases. They are automated contracts that fulfill a transaction when a predefined set of values and rules are met on those contracts. Smart contracts can also be used as proof of fractional ownership of a variety of assets, like real estate or even computing power. To develop smart contracts, a new language is used known as Solidity. This language is becoming increasingly popular amongst blockchain developers and we will learn about it in a while.
3. Dapps – Decentralized apps are like regular applications on the surface but behind it, they are powered by all the specialties of the Ethereum network. They are not hosted on a centralized server and face no downtime. They are backed by cryptography and are free from any form of censorship. So with Ethereum blockchain as their database and Smart contracts as their app logic, Decentralized applications are the building block of the new age internet i.e, Web 3.0.
4. DeFi – Decentralized Finance is one of the main specialties of the Ethereum network and allows developers to build financial apps that are free from any form of intermediaries and brokerages like banks, exchanges, etc. The only cost of transaction on the network is the Gas Fee which is used to keep the network running.

How Javascript is shaping the Ethereum ecosystem

If we talk about the scale of the Ethereum network and its native coin Ether, then it is worth mentioning that Ether’s market capitalization is second in the world and is only behind Bitcoin. The Ethereum blockchain also allows other cryptocurrencies to its network as ERC-20 tokens, this platform has helped many new currencies to launch their ICOs.

From the developmental point of view, Javascript is the most popular language on Ethereum. There is also a team that works dedicatedly to bring as much of the Ethereum ecosystem to Javascript. Using a Javascript API library is the most convenient way to interact with nodes on the Ethereum network. Doing this would allow a developer to write a query to the network, send transactions, etc. 

As a developer one can use these libraries to interact with smart contracts on the Ethereum network. So, it’s possible for developers to build decentralized applications where they solely use JavaScript to begin interaction with pre-existing contracts on the network.

There are two main types of JS libraries that are instrumental to developers on Ethereum.

1. Web3.js – It is a runtime environment that is a collection of libraries. Web3.js allows developers to establish interaction for their JS frontends with an Ethereum node using HTTP, WebSocket, or IPC. The nodes in discussion could be a locally deployed Ethereum network or the live chain and can be used for gaining relevant information about tokens and transactions.
2. Ether.js – Think of a complete Javascript library, which is also compact and built to interact with the Ethereum blockchain network and its whole facilities ecosystem. Originally it was created to be used with ethers.io but since then has expanded into a library that is more general purpose. The ether.js library also comes with a lot of unique features that are targeted towards building more functional and super-efficient applications. Some of these features are Typescript ready, ability to connect over multiple Ethereum nodes, is more secure, and many more.

While we talked about how Javascript is the most popular language of the Ethereum ecosystem and is basically its backbone, the above bifurcation between the two libraries may create confusion amongst developers as to which one is better for the purpose of developing decentralized apps and smart contracts. While Smart contracts are built on Solidity, and require a different skill set, developing Dapps on the Ethereum network can be a somewhat easy task for experienced JS programmers. Even if one doesn’t have much knowledge about blockchain development, their Javascript prowess can help them on the Ether network.

As for which is better amongst Ether.js and Web3.js, the answer is not that concise. Both of them have their own sets of features and drawbacks. Having said that, Web3.js is much more vast in terms of new developments as it is maintained by an organization with a whole lot of people in the community. On the other hand, Ether.js is helmed by a smaller community but is more orderly in terms of new developments and capabilities.

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