JavaScript remains the core language for web applications. But we all know that JavaScript isn’t the best language for every task. When it comes to complex applications JavaScript might fall short. To avoid this issue, there are many alternative programming languages to JavaScript. Some have been created from scratch and some are transpilers of existing programming languages. What’s certain is that all of them work in the browser without any lines of JavaScript having to be written. And you also won’t have to think about the limitations of the language. If this is exactly what you need, you are in the right place. We compiled the best 5 alternative programming languages to JavaScript in this list and everything you need to know about those 5 languages.
Dart
Dart is the first alternative language that we are going to talk about. This is an object-oriented language. Which means that everything is an object and any object is an instance of a class. This language allows objects to act as functions too. This language was made to build applications for browsers, servers, and mobile devices and that is what it’s mostly used for. Google maintains Dart. Dart powers the next generation AdWords. This only shows how powerful it is and will continue to be as AdWords is the most important product of Google regarding revenue.
To use Dart in a browser, you can translate it to JavaScript easily. The Dart VM allows you to build server applications. You can use the Flutter SDK to make mobile applications. To make more complex applications you will need a set of libraries and language features that were specially designed for the task. The best part about this programming language is that it includes all of these sets. Dart is very easily learned even if you used certain resources to self-study Java.
TypeScript
As you can probably guess by yourself, TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript. TypeScript keeps the spirit of JavaScript intact, unlike all the other alternative programming languages to JavaScript. This language has features to improve the soundness of the code. This is why many people prefer using TypeScript over JavaScript. These featured make writing JavaScript more pleasant. These featured are actually type annotations and other type-related functionalities. There are also specialized tools like static analyzers and other tools that can aid in the refactoring process. You also won’t have to write all the types from the beginning as type inference is supported. This allows you to write quick solutions and add all the types to improve your code.
If you decide to use this language, you won’t need much help if you already know how to use JavaScript. But if you need help, you can easily find anything you need online and once you finish making your website, you can get WP Full Care to maintain it.
Elm
Using Elm allows you to build a perfectly functional website which is a great alternative to JavaScript frameworks. This language can compile to JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Elm is also great for building applications as it automatically uses a virtual DOM library which makes building applications faster. The reason why so many people love and recommend Elm is the built-in architecture. This makes you forget about data-flow while working in Elm, therefore, you can focus on data declaration and logic instead. In Elm, all the functions are pure. This means functions will return the same output for a given input and they can’t do anything else unless you specify it. Another interesting thing about Elm is that values are immutable. This means that when you need something, you create new values, instead of modifying them.
Elm can communicate with JavaScript and other libraries using ports. Elm is mostly used for complex and large applications as it hasn’t reached version 1 yet. But the very best thing about Elm is that it’s a beginner-friendly compiler. Instead of producing hard-to-read messages Elm generates code that helps you fix your code. This is very helpful to those learning programming languages. This is just one of the many ways that computers can help us with learning.
PureScript
This language was created by Phil Freeman and it is a strongly typed programming language that is purely functional. It has strong compatibility with available JavaScript libraries. It is similar to Haskell but it keeps JavaScript at its core. PureScript is very minimalistic. It doesn’t include any libraries for functionality that would be considered essential in other languages that’s why we say that it is a strongly typed programming language. Instead of including generators in the compiler itself, you have to use specific libraries for the task. You choose the implementation you want for the feature you need. This makes PureScript highly efficient and you will have a personalized experience with it. You will also be keeping the generated code as small as possible.
Another amazing thing about this language is its ability to make clean and readable code while maintaining compatibility with JavaScript. PureScript has its own build tool called Pulp. PureScript also has support for advanced type features. This language might be hard to get used to for some people but over time, you will learn and adapt like you learn to keep your WP site safe and running trouble-free, for example.
ClojureScript
Last but not least is the ClojureScript. It translates the Clojure programming language to JavaScript. This language is a functional language with dynamic typing. It has support for immutable data structures too. CS belongs to the Lisp family of programming languages. Lisp is one of artificial intelligence programming languages. ClojureScript shares a lot of the features of the Lisp programming languages. The code in ClojureScript can be treated as data. But unlike other Lisp languages, Clojure has support for immutable data structures. This makes the management of side effects easier. Lisp is a powerful tool for solving problems that require high levels of abstraction and that’s the reason why many programmers love this language.
ClojureScript isn’t pure like PureScript or Elm although it’s mainly a functional language. Functional features are still present and side effects can still happen. This language is compatible with existing JavaScript libraries. ClojureScript also uses Google Closure for code optimization.