JavaScript vs jQuery: Which one is better?

The concept of web application was introduced after various development platform like php, JavaScript were involved in the web development practices. These languages provide a more interactive platform to a website and impart some additional functionality for data processing. This shifted the trend of web development from developing just a website to a more complex web application. To develop efficient web apps, two major platforms called JavaScript and jQuery have become quite popular among the developers because of the ease of development and efficiency in the app they provide.

• JavaScript is a scripting language which is embedded into the HTML code of an application to provide a more interactive look to a website. It's a light weighted language so it doesn't hurt the performance of the application with the introduction of extra lines of code.
• jQuery, on the other hand, is not a language, but a framework of routine modules developed in JavaScript, which can be included in the code of the application like a library. This framework reduces the overall lines of code by providing the in-built set of functions for routine tasks of an application.

However, a key point to notice here is that jQuery is an extended framework or set of libraries so it cannot exist on its own. This means that an application can be developed only with JavaScript or with JavaScript and jQuery. No application can be developed using jQuery alone since there will be no calling element for the functions of jQuery and most importantly, jQuery is neither a programming language nor a scripting language.

• While JavaScript is light-weighted and doesn't really overload the processing and eventually the performance of the application, on the other hand using jQuery unnecessarily inside the code, increases the size of the application. The impact on performance could be low at the module level but as the size of the application increases the overall impact of the size is experienced on the performance of the app.
• Although library files of jQuery may increase the load on the network, it simplifies the task of coding the application by reducing the number of lines of code. This minimizes the efforts of the developer in coding the routine tasks for additional features and assists them by simply including the file of the jQuery library for doing the same task with minimum amount of code. On the contrary, JavaScript requires the coding of each and every function separately so it eventually increases the efforts and time spent on coding the application.
• Another advantage of jQuery over JavaScript is that jQuery efficiently handles and creates animation in the application while in case of JavaScript animations cannot be created. This de-limits the scope of using "JavaScript only" for development of web application.
• If customization is concerned in an application, JavaScript is a better option over jQuery as its framework is already defined, developed and is rigid. The use of generic library functions may not be suitable as per the level of customization required in an app. JavaScript, on the other hand, can be customized according to the requirement as each function and module needs to be coded from the scratch and so provides an unlimited scope of customization.

In a conclusion it can be stated that only jQuery for web apps development is not possible since it's not a programming or scripting language and the selection of language i.e. either JavaScript only or JavaScript with jQuery, for development depends on the requirements, time and cost of development. -- Christa Joe is a keen blogger and enjoys reading and writing about the recent technology. Software development, Social media, mobile software development and mobile applications are some of her key area of interests. She's also a freelance writer and write for various software companies like Q3 technologies. Follow her at Google+. Source: http://www.articletrader.com