JavaScript is a programming language that is commonly used for creating interactive elements on websites, such as forms, animations, and games. Over the years, the language has evolved and several different standards, or versions, of JavaScript have been developed.
Some of the most commonly used JavaScript standards include:
ECMAScript
: ECMAScript (often abbreviated as ES) is the official standard for the JavaScript language. The latest version, ES2020, was released in June 2020 and includes new features such as optional chaining and nullish coalescing.ECMAScript 6 (ES6)
: ES6, also known as ECMAScript 2015, was a major update to the JavaScript language and added many new features such as classes, modules, and arrow functions.ECMAScript 5 (ES5)
: ES5 is the previous version of the JavaScript language and is widely supported by web browsers. It is the version of JavaScript that most people are familiar with and is the baseline for many current JavaScript libraries and frameworks.ECMAScript 4 (ES4)
: ES4 was a proposed update to the JavaScript language that was never officially released. It was intended to add many new features and capabilities to the language, but it faced opposition from some members of the JavaScript community and was ultimately abandoned.
Latest ES Version
ECMAScript 2020
, also known as ES2020
, is the latest version of the JavaScript language. It was released in June 2020 and includes several new features and improvements to the language.
Some of the biggest changes in ES2020
include:
Optional chaining
: ES2020 introduces the optional chaining operator (?.), which allows you to safely access properties of an object without having to check if the object or property exists. This can make it easier to write code that deals with nested objects and can reduce the need for lengthy conditional statements.Nullish coalescing
: ES2020 also introduces the nullish coalescing operator (??), which allows you to provide a default value for a variable if it is null or undefined. This can be useful for handling cases where a variable may not have a value and you want to provide a default instead.Promise.allSettled
: ThePromise.allSettled()
method was added in ES2020 and allows you to wait for all of the promises in an array to either fulfill or reject. This can be useful for handling multiple asynchronous operations and can make it easier to write code that works with promises.Dynamic import
: ES2020 adds support for dynamic import, which allows you to import a module or script at runtime instead of at the top of a file. This can be useful for lazy loading parts of your code and can improve the performance of your applications.
Overall, ES2020 includes many new features and improvements that can make it easier to write and work with JavaScript code. These features can help you write cleaner, more concise code and can make it easier to handle complex scenarios.
Which browsers support ES2020?
All modern web browsers support the ECMAScript (ES) standards to some extent. However, the level of support for each version of the language can vary between different browsers.
For example, the latest version of Google Chrome (version 85) supports all of the features of ES2020, as well as most of the features of ES2019 and some of the features of ES2018. Mozilla Firefox (version 80) also supports all of the features of ES2020, as well as most of the features of ES2019 and some of the features of ES2018.
On the other hand, Microsoft Edge (version 85) supports all of the features of ES2020, as well as most of the features of ES2019 and ES2018. Apple Safari (version 14) also supports all of the features of ES2020, as well as most of the features of ES2019 and ES2018.
Overall, the level of support for the different ES standards varies between different web browsers, but most modern browsers support the latest versions of the language to a high degree. It is always a good idea to check the level of support for each version of the language before using it in your projects.