ECMAScript & JavaScript | The Difference, Simplified

In the JavaScript space, many people confuse ECMAScript for JavaScript--some use the terms interchangeable. Though they have a lot of things in common, they are literally different things.

In this video, I explain the difference between both terms in the JavaScript space.

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🌟 About Me:
Dillion Megida, creator of DEEECODE, is a Software Engineer, Developer Advocate and a Content Creator passionate about simplifying topics around Tech via articles and videos.

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[favouritejome]

Great explanation Dillion, thanks for sharing!

[vartz]

Thanks for the explaination. So it is fair to say ECMAscript is like interface, JavaScript is like abstract class that to be implemented on concrete class -- for example, browser (Browser's JavaScript engine) or NodeJS (V8 engine) that add it's own implementation of console, fetch, etc or enviroment specific like window (browser), process, fs, stdlib (nodejs).

[johnoluwole]

I finished the whole playlist today, thanks for your teaching

[CStrolx]

So, pretty well explained, but there was definitely some politics involved. For instance, why is it called EcmaScript? Ecma didn't create it. They don't have their name on any of the other languages they provide standards for. Why didn't they simply call it the JavaScript specification?

1 big reason was because a lot of people, particularly Java and JavaScript developers wanted to make it clear that JavaScript and Java were not even closely related to each other. For many years developers actually tried to get everyone to call it ecma script, as that made it clear that it was not related to Java. Unfortunately, it never really stuck. I think EcmaScript just doesn't roll off the tongue as easily, and people were already used to saying JavaScript, so it didn't end up changing.

[jeffrbake]

Answer is correct, title is a bit misleading. "Is ECMA script the same thing as Javascript" would be much more appropriate.

[williamheckman]

Thanks for this video... but... If you look at the history of Javascript though, Javascript was first... ECMA standards came second.