JavaScript Turns 30: What's New & What’s Outdated?
  • 09/04/2025

JavaScript Turns 30: What’s New & What’s Outdated?

javascript

JavaScript turns 30 in 2025, which is wild to think about!

It was invented by Brendan Eich in 1995 while he was working at Netscape. And fun fact: he created the first version of JavaScript (originally called Mocha, then LiveScript, before finally being renamed JavaScript) in just 10 days.

What started as the 10- day prototype has evolved into the backbone of the web. Now, JavaScript is everywhere - powering modern websites, mobile apps, backend systems, desktop apps, and even some game and AI tools.

JavaScript: What's Special?

So, Just picture internet in early 90's- a text-based world with slow dial up connections. Every button click triggered a full-page reload. Users wanted more - faster feedback, smoother interactions, and a richer experience. That’s when JavaScript came onto the scene, transforming the web into the dynamic platform we now know today.

JavaScript is the Programming Language for the Web. It is a text-based, lightweight, cross-platform, and interpreted scripting programming language. It can be used both on the client-side and server-side for developing web pages.

Here's what makes JavaScript best in the web development field.

  1. Runs Everywhere: Across servers, Mobile apps, Desktop apps, IoT devices and even game engines and machine learning tools.
  2. Huge Ecosystem: Powerful frameworks and millions of libraries to build innovative, efficient, and scalable applications.
  3. Performance & Speed: Ensures lightning-fast response times by executing code directly in the browser.
  4. Continuous Evolution: Updates with powerful new features every year.
  5. Massive Community Support: With one of the biggest developer communities in the world, Javascript gives you access to tons of tutorials, open-source projects, forums, and career opportunities.

Many languages started out as the next big thing, only to fade away quietly. But JavaScript? It stuck around - and it’s more relevant than ever. Over the three decades, many constant updates, new frameworks, and evolving best practices has been introduced into JavaScript. So, it’s more important than ever to know what’s new and relevant - and what’s become outdated or unnecessary.

Let's break it down!

What’s New (And Thriving)

  • Modern Syntax (ES6+): JavaScript ES6+ marks an evolution from the original JavaScript language - the ECMAScript standard. It has continued to evolve with regular updates. These modern features make code cleaner, easier to read, and more powerful - helping developers write better apps, faster.
  • TypeScript Integration: TypeScript adds additional syntax to JavaScript to support a tighter integration with your editor. It catches errors early in your editor and scales beautifully for larger apps.
  • Framework Evolution: JavaScript frameworks have gone through a major change. While modern frameworks like React, Vue, and Svelte leading front-end development, frameworks like Next.js, Nuxt, and Remix offer full-stack and server-side rendering.

What’s Outdated (And Fading Away)

  • jQuery: jQuery is no longer the go-to library for web development, but it still has a place in the web development ecosystem. It’s no longer needed for modern browsers or frameworks.
  • Old Build Tools: Tools like Grunt and Gulp are outdated now. Nowadays, projects now require faster, integrated options like Vite, Rollup, and Webpack 5+.
  • Moment.js: Moment.js is officially deprecated. Moment. js objects are mutable, which can cause hard-to-diagnose problems. Newer tools like Luxon leverage modular imports and immutable data.
  • var Declarations: While the var keyword is still valid in JavaScript, it's considered outdated and error-prone. Use let or const , that will limit the scope of your variables, making it less likely to encounter unexpected behaviours.
  • IIFEs & Global Scope Hacks: Earlier, developers used Immediately Invoked Function Expressions and global variables for scope control. Today, import/export is used to control the module system.

Conclusion

JavaScript is still dominating in the web development field, even with many other languages trying to chase it away. It is everywhere on the web, making websites and apps all interactive and dynamic. With each generation of developers, JavaScript has been continuously evolving, adapting, and improving.

In 2025, it still remains as the best one - pushing boundaries of what’s possible on the web and beyond. So, let's be part of that journey !