Difference Between JavaScript and AJAX

JavaScript vs AJAX

Over the past few decades, the internet has grown to be a basic necessity for communication and for the distribution of information for institutions, organizations, and individuals. Expanding internet technologies have played an increasingly sophisticated role in transforming the world into a global village.

The internet is, in a sense, a collection of web sites and web applications that are created through the use of standardized tools, methodologies, and programming and scripting languages’”all of which are fundamental to modern web development. Scripting languages such as JavaScript and AJAX allow web developers to create a more efficient means of conveying information through host browsers, which not only enhances the user’s overall experience, but also increases the speed and performance in the transfer of code between a client’s browser and web servers. JavaScript and AJAX technologies enhance development code, altering the traditional nature of the way page content is loaded into a browser window. The use of JavaScript (or any scripting language) combined with AJAX allows code to be executed on the client side machine without the need to send requests for an entire page reload just because a request for data is made to a server. This combined functionality is quite an improvement over the more antiquated, resource-intensive method of sending repeated (synchronous) requests for page content and data sources between client browsers and servers.
JavaScript is the most common object-oriented scripting language used to develop attractive, interactive and user-friendly websites. It was invented in 1995 by Brendan Eich of Netscape who, at first named it ‘Mocha.’ Later that same year, Netscape and Sun Microsystems collaborated together to release a newer version of the Netscape Navigator browser’”one that enabled the use of the scripting language, renaming it ‘Live Script.’ Finally, it was renamed ‘JavaScript,’ and was released as an add-on to HTML which enhanced interactivity and enabled access to objects within client as well as other applications.
There are many factors behind the success and popularity of JavaScript. Some of them are the ease of learning, cross-platform and cross-browser support, the increase of JavaScript-enabled browsers available to the web community, and growing development resources. JavaScript is an open-source programming language; it does not need to be purchased or licensed. Most current web browsers support it, e.g. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Safari, etc. The biggest disadvantage of using JavaScript is that it presents security risks to client computers and web servers, unless proper coding is used to restrict malicious threats.

AJAX is an acronym of Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. AJAX is not a scripting language; rather it is a framework that is used with JavaScript client side and server side technologies to provide unified user web page experience. AJAX, which is built on comprehensive frameworks and libraries, allows for a more sophisticated extension of JavaScript programming. It is a group of technologies comprised of interrelated development methods that are used not only for web development but also for stand-alone applications. AJAX can function as a translator; it permits programs that are written in diverse languages to communicate with each other. In the case of web development, AJAX reduces client to server request delays. AJAX programming limits or eliminates the need for entire page reloads simply because a request for data has been launched. Instead, the browser is able to update a portion of the current web page, depending on a user’s interactivity with objects on the page.
Summary:

1. JavaScript is an open-source programming language that is widely used as a scripting language for web development. AJAX, on the other hand is a group of technologies comprised of interrelated development methods that are used not only for web development but also for stand-alone applications. AJAX is built on comprehensive frameworks and libraries, and can be used to extend JavaScript programming functionality.
2. JavaScript performs client-side operations, while AJAX sends and retrieves information from a server.
3. The use of JavaScript and AJAX together allows code to be executed on the client side machine without the need to send repeated requests for an entire page reload just because a request for data is made to a server.
4. AJAX acts as a translator for communication among programs written in different languages’”a function that is not available for JavaScript.
5. JavaScript is an add-on to HTML while AJAX uses the XMLHttpRequest object to retrieve data from the server.

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