Hello to all JavaScript devotees! I’m excited to continue our quest for interesting news and articles from the multifaceted JavaScript world. In this article, you will learn about key takeaways from the latest State of JS report, new features on GitHub, and updates from DHTMLX, Babel, Express.js. As a cherry on top, I would like to share with you a pack of useful articles to help you make one more step forward in mastering JavaScript.

News and Updates

State of JS 2021: Better Late than Never

By now, you have probably learned a lot of useful information on JavaScript trends by analyzing popular surveys on the subject. However, the picture will be incomplete without the State of JS 2021. The report is finally here and you should certainly bookmark its landing page. Let me tell you why.

Apart from a new approach to visualizing statistical data, this report also includes new question types, the possibility to cross-reference data points, and other things to give you a deeper insight into the JavaScript landscape.

When talking about the results, it is interesting to mention that the majority of respondents (about 80%) agree that JavaScript is moving in the right direction, but at the same time many of them (37%) consider JavaScript to be too complex for building apps. Solid and Svelte are topping the lists of the most satisfactory and interesting JavaScript frameworks. TypeScript is predictably chosen as the most viable alternative to JavaScript. Respondents also named static typing, standard library, and better data management as the most desirable features that they would like to see in JavaScript. And it is just a small part of the useful knowledge provided in this report.

GitHub Offers New Code Scanning Feature

GitHub has recently introduced a code scanning feature designed to help programmers automatically detect vulnerabilities in their codebases. Currently, it is experimental and allows working only with JavaScript and TypeScript repositories. With this feature at hand, it will be possible to hunt down common security issues such as path injection, cross-site scripting, SQL injection, etc. This scanning tool utilizes the new machine learning for analyzing code. If you are interested in learning more about this feature and testing it in your project, check out this GitHub blog post.

GitHub Adds New Data Visualization Option

There is one more good news from GitHub. We all know that it is much easier to explain complex concepts and processes in software development with various charts, graphs, and diagrams. That is why the world’s largest hosting provider added support for the JavaScript-based diagramming tool named Mermaid. If previously developers could use just images, now Mermaid allows visualizing data via Markdown-inspired text definitions and JavaScript code. Learn how it works from this article.

Meet New Releases from DHTMLX

DHTMLX continues delivering updates for its JavaScript components to provide programmers with new functionalities for achieving their web development goals. In February, the DHTMLX development team rolled out new versions of the Kanban and Diagram components.

The DHTMLX Kanban Board v1.1 includes a range of new features for more effective workflow visualization. For instance, now developers can make use of the WIP validation feature to limit the number of task cards in rows and columns when necessary. It also became possible to change the kanban structure right from the UI and collapse/expand any specific column. The built-in TypeScript definitions will help to speed up the implementation of the DHTMLX-based JavaScript Kanban board in a web app.

The minor update of the DHTMLX Diagram library (v4.2) also comes with a set of novelties for visualizing data on a web page in a more convenient way. The most important thing is that diagrams built with DHTMLX now render well on touch devices without additional configuring. The release also includes several API changes enabling developers to specify default settings for connector lines in diagrams as well as in the Diagram Editor. Apart from that, there is a new way to specify preview sections in the left panel of the Diagram Editor.

Express.js 5.0 Beta is Now Available

Express.js is one of the most widely-used back-end frameworks included in popular web development stacks such as MEAN, MERN, and MEVN. Currently, however, many developers have serious doubts about choosing this technology for their projects since it has not received serious updates for years. But admirers of this framework received a hope to see positive changes in the near future. This month, it has been announced that Express.js 5 is now in beta. Visit the Express.js page to get more details.

Introducing Babel 7.17

Babel is an indispensable tool when it comes to converting modern JS code for running on older web browsers. And the good news is that it has been updated to version 7.17. The most notable thing about this release is that it provides parse and transform support for decorators in ES6 classes. The list of other updates also includes the ‘v’ flag proposal for regexes, parsing support for destructuring private fields, and experimental implementation of @babel/register. Find more information on new additions to babel in this release article.

Useful Tips and Articles

Creating a COVID-19 Tracker with JavaScript

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a huge challenge for the whole world. The development community also contributes to the international struggle against the coronavirus. For instance, programmers create various trackers to help medical scientists in monitoring the spread of coronavirus or vaccine coverage. If you want to create your own basic Covid tracker with JavaScript, this tutorial is exactly what you need.

Getting Familiar with New Architecture of React Native

React Native is a popular framework for implementing cross-platform software solutions. If it is a part of your technology stack, you have to know that 2022 will be the year of great changes in the architecture of this framework. This article provides a deeper insight into the upcoming transformations in React Native’s architecture.

6 Ways to Enhance Node.js Security

Node.js played a significant role in the immense popularity of JavaScript by making it applicable on the server-side. The increased usage of this JS runtime environment quickly made it a tempting target for cyberattacks. Therefore, developers who use Node.js should know how to protect their apps from security issues such as DOS attacks, SQL injections, clickjacking, etc. This article includes 6 helpful recommendations on improving the security of Node.js.

How to Read ECMAScript Specification Properly

If you are not new to JavaScript, you’ve probably heard about ECMAScript specification. It is an official source of information dedicated to JavaScript and its features. The necessity to read this document has become a subject of heated debate in the web development community. This specification is really large and you may not need to read it all, but at the same time, it includes 100% reliable info about the peculiarities of writing code with JavaScript. So if you decide to start exploring ECMAScript specification in more detail, this article will help you to do it in a more productive way.

Debugging JavaScript Code

There are many critical remarks against JavaScript and many of them are justified. But it is hard not to appreciate the great diversity of this programming language. It provides plenty of opportunities to achieve the desired web development goals. Debugging is an important part of the development process that can also be handled in different ways. This video provides a range of tips and tricks for debugging JavaScript.

How Developers Can Help Ukraine

The whole world is witnessing the horrible tragedy that continues to unfold in Ukraine. Many developers from all over the globe have already joined efforts to help the Ukrainian nation. If you wish to make your own contribution to supporting the people in need, you can join one of the initiatives started at the Product Hunt portal.

Thanks for reading this article to the end and see you soon!