In this chapter, we'll write our own web server: It will serve files and manage the data for a browser app. Terminology: browser vs. server # The following pairs of opposites are all related: The term "client" is interesting because it is more general than the term "browser" - it refers to any app (web app, mobile app, etc.) that connects to a server. In web development, it usually means "browser" or "web app".
JSON ("JavaScript Object Notation") is a way of encoding data as text - e.g., in text files. Its syntax is a subset of JavaScript. In other words: Each piece of JSON data is valid JavaScript source code - it's an expression. This is an example of a text file with JSON data: The syntax of JSON # The syntax of JSON works as follows:
Earlier this week, I took a look at parsing electronic comic books and sending them to GenAI as a way to get summaries of stories. That was a fun experiment and it actually worked quite well. I thought I'd take a stab at trying a similar approach with Chrome's Built-in AI support as well when I discovered that... wait... I don't actually have a way to view comics on the web. Or so I thought.
As you were browsing something about your browser made us think you were a bot. There are a few reasons this might happen: You've disabled JavaScript in your web browser. You're a power user moving through this website with super-human speed. You've disabled cookies in your web browser. A third-party browser plugin, such as Ghostery or NoScript, is preventing JavaScript from running. Additional information is available in this support article.
If you already know JavaScript, learning Python will feel easier because many core concepts are the same. Both languages use similar data types (strings, numbers, lists/arrays, objects/dictionaries), functions with default parameters, and control flow (loops, conditionals). The biggest differences are in syntax: Python relies on indentation instead of curly braces, uses keywords like def instead of function, and is generally more concise. Your JavaScript knowledge gives you a strong head start-you'll just need to adjust to Python's style and rules.
Internationalization involves more than just text translation; it encompasses formatting dates, pluralization, and sorting according to cultural expectations. The Intl API allows modern JavaScript to handle these tasks natively.
Event listeners are essential for interactivity in JavaScript, but they can quietly cause memory leaks if not removed properly. Improperly managed event listeners can lead to memory leaks and performance issues.
In a newly discovered supply chain attack, attackers last week targeted a range of npm-hosted JavaScript type testing utilities, several of which were successfully compromised to distribute malware.
