Here’s my opinion on JavaScript as a Python developer. I’ve been using JavaScript for the past year and Python since the pandemic, so here are some of my thoughts:
Isolation
The best thing about JavaScript, in my opinion, is the isolation it offers. Whatever project I create stays isolated in its own folder, along with its dependencies. On the other hand, Python stores all dependencies in a main folder or a global environment. If you want isolation in Python, you need to set up a virtual environment, which I find unnecessarily complex. I know there are other options to manage this, but I haven’t tried them yet.
Syntax
Another point is syntax. Python’s syntax is definitely cleaner and easier to work with compared to JavaScript. When I started using JavaScript, I found its syntax frustrating, but over time, I’ve gotten used to it. One big difference is that Python is sensitive to spaces --- any indentation mistake will cause an error --- whereas JavaScript isn’t. This can be seen as an advantage for JavaScript. However, overall, Python is still easier to learn, though JavaScript isn’t far behind; it’s also a relatively easy language.
Performance
I also had a misconception that, since JavaScript is primarily used for web development, Python would be faster. I was wrong --- JavaScript, especially with Node.js, is faster. Plus, there are new tools in development like Bun and Deno, which promise even better performance once they’re fully released.
Web Dev
Lastly, JavaScript is essential for web development because you can’t really write client-side code using Python. This is a huge plus point for JavaScript.