JavaScript continues to be one of the top picks for programming languages. Let’s take a look at JavaScript trends in 2022.
Since its release, JavaScript (JS) has been one of the core programming languages of the World Wide Web. It first came to use in 1995. But it has been rising in usage and popularity in the previous decades. In fact, according to Stack Overflow’s Developer Survey, JavaScript clinched its ninth straight year as the most popular programming language.
Speed, performance, and reliability? What makes JS so popular is difficult to measure. But from frameworks, libraries, and supersets, let’s explore the continued expected trends in the JavaScript world in 2022.
JavaScript Trends in 2022
JS is not going anytime soon. It is very integral to web development and is becoming even more popular in 2022. Knowing what is trending in JavaScript will help your development team produce more scalable and competitive software. Here are this year’s rising trends in JavaScript development that you should know.
TypeScript Rising
TypeScript (TS) is a superset of JavaScript. And over the last few years, TypeScript has become one of the top choices as a programming language.
As its name suggests, it allows for optional types that JS does not. It uses JS syntax and semantics plus additional features that help developers improve their productivity and efficiency. Below are some of the reasons why TS continues to be a powerful and popular trend in JS.
1. Compile-Time Bug Detection
Like JS, TS detects program errors by highlighting unexpected behaviors. This bug detection feature happens during compilation as opposed to execution. Through this, TS can generate more efficient code.
2. Static Typing
TS allows developers to create complex types by combining existing ones. TS can do this because it uses structural or duck typing. This is also the reason why TS can employ unions and generics. Plus, TypeScript supports different interfaces.
3. Offers Large-Scale Solution Support
The majority of websites operate in complex systems. However, JavaScript was not developed for this. TS uses object-oriented features such as interfaces, modules, and generics to circumvent the aforementioned issue. In addition, top JS libraries and frameworks support TS. And it compiles into readable and standard-based JavaScript.
4. Easy to Learn for JS Developers
TypeScript uses JS syntax and other features. For these reasons, it is easier to learn for JS developers. These features make TS a popular programming language. According to Stack Overflow’s 2021 Developer Survey, it is the third most loved language. And all developments indicate that TS will only continue to trend upwards as we enter the 2nd half of 2022.
Front-end Frameworks
React.js, Vue.js, and Angular.js occupy the top positions in JS frameworks. Just behind this top 3, Svelte is catching up. According to the State of JavaScript 2021, Svelte doubled its use last year. And many developers are expecting it to dethrone Vue as a light and easy alternative to React.js and Angular.js.
Angular.js, on the other hand, is in an interesting position. Although almost half of the developers use the framework, the number of developers who want to learn it is low. This is because developers agree that Angular.js is harder to learn. Also, it is mostly used to develop large and complex projects.
That said, React.js maintains its hold at the top of JS frameworks. The framework’s constant improvement of its features ensures that both clients and developers still want to use React as their front-end framework. Its features make it more convenient and optimized for the 2022 web development landscape. This includes hooks, component-based servers, and concurrent mode.
Back-end Frameworks
Express.js still holds a clear lead over other frameworks on the server-side of JavaScript development. However, new trends are emerging. Clients and developers should pay attention to the rise of JAMstack, like site generators (Next.js and Gatsby) and headless CMS (Strapi).
Another interesting trend in regards to the JS back-end side is the continued rise in popularity of Fastify. This tool provides developers with a faster alternative for Express.js.
Fastify also has beneficial features, such as hooks, encapsulated plugins, and decorators. These features help in facilitating the reusability and decoupling of code. Plus, Fastify supports TypeScript, which is one of the most relevant trends in JavaScript.
The rise of Fastify and other backend frameworks should encourage the development of more efficient systems. These systems should be able to handle more queries at a lower cost.
All the Jest at the Testing End
Jest still reigns as the top testing library in 2022. This should come as no surprise due to the wide use of React. Additionally, Jest is a bootstrapping tool that every React users use.
On the other hand, Jasmine, which is Angular’s default testing tool, is experiencing a decline in its usage and popularity. Another alternative is Mocha. However, most developers are not a fan of the process of setting up the tool before they can start testing.
The JavaScript Trends in 2022 show that a user-oriented testing approach is becoming the go-to solution for React component testing.
Web Components as Building Blocks
Web components are extremely versatile. They are usable in plain JavaScript or any other popular frameworks. This is why they are called framework-independent components. But how does a web component work? Below are its capabilities:
- Custom Elements – creates new autonomous HTML tags. These tags have fully-customizable behaviors.
- Shadow DOM – allows for encapsulating of DOM subtrees to web elements.
- ES Module – helps determine JS modules and reuse them in other JS documents.
- HTML Template – helps developers create markup fragments. These fragments are instantiated during runtime to avoid slowing down the load time.
Web components are very flexible and have good support from popular frameworks and libraries with these features. In addition, because web components are small in size and have quick runtime, they are a great help for progressive web apps.
Get Your Tech Stacks Ready for these JavaScript Trends with Full Scale
JavaScript will continue to be one of the most preferred and loved web development technologies. Why? It is powering the ever-expanding landscape of the web today. To keep your development team ready to adapt to these changes, you need to take these top JavaScript trends into consideration.
With that said, Full Scale is here to help your business. We are an offshoring company. We provide bespoke software development services to growing companies. Because we only hire top JavaScript experts, our clients have access to the best developers who are well-versed with the latest JavaScript trends
