.js files
.js file
JavaScript Source
The programming language of the web, in a plain-text file.
What opens a .js file
- Windows
- Visual Studio Code, Notepad++, Notepad (built in)
- macOS
- Visual Studio Code, TextEdit (built in), BBEdit
- Linux
- Visual Studio Code, Text Editor (built in), Vim
- In a browser
- CodeSandbox, JSFiddle
What a .js file is
JavaScript runs in every browser and, through Node.js, on servers and desktops too; the language is standardised as ECMAScript. A .js file is readable text, so any editor opens it — but a downloaded .js can also be a script Windows will execute if you double-click it, which is a long-standing malware route. Open unknown ones in an editor rather than launching them.
Converting it
A .js file is commonly converted to .ts, .mjs or .txt. It is a plain text format, so any text editor can open and edit it directly.
Details
- Extension
- .js
- Full name
- JavaScript Source
- Category
- Code and scripts
- MIME type
- text/javascript
- Created by
- Brendan Eich / Ecma International
- Format
- Plain text
Common questions
- How do I open a .js file?
- On Windows use Visual Studio Code; on macOS use Visual Studio Code; on Linux use Visual Studio Code. The programming language of the web, in a plain-text file.
- What is a .js file?
- JavaScript Source. JavaScript runs in every browser and, through Node.js, on servers and desktops too; the language is standardised as ECMAScript. A .js file is readable text, so any editor opens it — but a downloaded .js can also be a script Windows will execute if you double-click it, which is a long-standing malware route.
- Can I convert a .js file?
- Yes. It is usually converted to .ts, .mjs or .txt, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.
Related pages
- .html — HyperText Markup Language A web page — plain text marked up with tags, rendered by any browser.
- .css — Cascading Style Sheet The text file that tells a web page how to look.
- .py — Python Source A Python program in plain text — needs the Python interpreter to run.
- .java — Java Source Java source code in plain text, compiled to .class files before it runs.
- .tsx — TypeScript Source (JSX) TypeScript with embedded JSX markup — the standard file type for React component
- .cpp — C++ Source Source code in C++, the language of games, browsers and performance-critical sof
- .php — PHP Source Server-side web code — it runs on the server, so browsers never see the source.
- .c — C Source Source code in C, the language most operating systems are written in.
- .cs — C# Source Source code in C#, Microsoft's language for .NET and Unity games.
- .go — Go Source Source code in Go, Google's language for servers and command-line tools.
- .rs — Rust Source Source code in Rust, a systems language with memory safety enforced at compile t
- .rb — Ruby Source Source code in Ruby, the language behind Rails and Homebrew.
Sources
- Media Types Registry — IANA
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place