Can you build a website without Javascript?
According to w3techs, ”JavaScript is used as a client-side programming language by 97.9% of all the websites.” This shows that there are a few websites that do not use Javascript, which means you can build a beautiful, fully working website without using Javascript.
Although a website can be built without using Javascript, it is not a good idea, if you make a website without using Javascript, you will be missing out on amazing features that would give your website users a great experience.
Javascript is the programming language of the web, it adds more functionality and interactivity to your website. This is why it is used by 97.9% of all websites on the world wide web. It is easy to get started with and there are a lot of resources out there to help you in case you get stuck.
According to a 2021 Stack Overflow survey, “JavaScript completes its ninth year in a row as the most commonly used programming language by professional developers.” Javascript has a huge number of frameworks and libraries that makes it easy and enjoyable to work with.
When you consider everything that Javascript offers you, the availability of resources, talented developers, JS frameworks, and more, it makes no sense to build a website without Javascript and if you do, you will be leaving so much on the table. It must be noted, that there is currently (2022) no viable alternative to Javascript.
Most of the languages considered to be alternatives to Javascript such as Typescript, CoffeeScript, ClosureScript, etc. compile to Javascript or cannot work without Javascript, as such I will not consider them as alternatives, they simply enhance Javascript.
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SHOULD YOU USE JAVASCRIPT ON YOUR WEBSITE?
Javascript gives websites a lot of great features that make using websites a wonderful experience. You can add modals, Carousels, Parallax, Tabs, Toasts, Drag out Menu, Pop-ups, Pushpins, drag & drop, and more. These features enhance the way users interact with your website.
But take note that too much Javascript and poorly written Javascript can slow down your website significantly. Javascript is rendered as the web browser reads the web page, that means, when a Javascript code is encountered, the web browser stops rendering the page until the Javascript code has fully executed. This can cause a delay in loading your web page.
There are a lot of good practices that you can embrace to allow the web browser to render the page while some of the Javascript is loading. A good example is Async / await which allows the flow of data without blocking the main thread
When using Javascript on your website, make sure to implement the best practices that will help you reduce the load times for your website pages. If you are building a landing page or an advertisement page that does not need much interaction, you can leave out Javascript.
Make sure to access your website to determine how much Javascript must be added and focus on solving the user’s problem, do add features such as pop-ups, pushpins, JS Animations, etc. just for the fun of doing it. Make sure when you add such features, they are there to help your user to have a great time on your website.
USING WEBSITE BUILDERS
If you want to use Javascript on your website but you do not want to write Javascript yourself, you can use website builders or Content Management Systems like WordPress.
Website builders can help you make amazing websites without writing any line of code in Javascript or any programming language. You can make e-commerce sites, Blogs, Forums, Membership sites, news sites, and more.
There are many platforms that can help you to achieve this such as Bubble, WordPress, Wix, Weebly, Shopify, Squarespace, and many others. When you use any of these platforms, your website will still have Javascript for most of its frontend functionality.
CONCLUSION
Seeing that 97.9% of all websites use Javascript on the client-side, there is still a 2.2% of all websites that do not use Javascript. This shows that you can build a website without using Javascript on the front-facing side. Choosing whether to use Javascript on your website depends on the type and size of the website you are working on. There are some websites that do not need Javascript.
However, as earlier stated, it is not a good idea to make a website without using Javascript. There are a lot of features that you can add to a website to make it more functional and interactive using Javascript. The most important thing is to write good Javascript that does not slow down your website.
