Preparation for Learning JavaScript

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In this series, we will prepare all the necessary tools for learning JavaScript. In fact, you can start learning JavaScript using only the browser console.

For those using Mozilla Firefox, simply press Ctrl + Shift + I, and the console will appear. However, relying solely on the console for learning JavaScript is not the most effective method.

That’s why we need some essential tools to make the learning process easier. Here are some recommended tools :

Installing Node.js makes things simpler, especially since, at the beginning, we will focus on displaying output in the console. This series is designed to help you understand JavaScript features in depth. To get started, download Node.js from the official website.

Choose the version that matches your operating system. For example, I am using Windows 7 (64-bit). The installation process is straightforward—just follow the instructions. Once installed, you can check if Node.js is properly set up by typing the following command in the console:

If it returns a version number, the installation was successful. If not, reinstall Node.js properly.

This is an optional tool—you can use any code editor. However, I personally prefer Visual Studio Code because it provides many useful plugins. There are many reasons why I like it, but we’ll discuss them in a separate article.

To download Visual Studio Code, visit the official website. The installation is simple—just follow the setup instructions. The Visual Studio Code interface is similar to most code editors, featuring a coding area and a sidebar that serves as the project directory.

One important feature is the built-in terminal (highlighted in yellow). Throughout this learning process, we will frequently use the terminal to display output in Visual Studio Code.

You can use any browser, including Safari, Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Opera. However, for this series, Internet Explorer 8 or lower is not recommended.

For fundamental JavaScript, ES5, ES6, ES7, ES8, and ESNext features, the browser won’t be needed much, as we will mostly use the console in Visual Studio Code.

However, when working with JavaScript DOM, the browser will become essential for displaying output. We will cover that in a later series. For now, we recommend using Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, so make sure you have one installed.

That’s all we need for now! In the next tutorial, we will learn how to display output in JavaScript. Click the link below to continue

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