Eloquent JavaScript

Eloquent JavaScript is a free online book about programming with JavaScript, written by Marijn Haverbeke. The fourth edition, from 2024, starts with the basic ideas of programming and moves on to the browser and Node.js.

The book explains JavaScript from first principles. It covers values, functions, data structures, objects, regular expressions, modules and asynchronous code. It then moves into the browser with the DOM, events and canvas drawing, and ends with Node.js. Each chapter pairs explanations with exercises, and several larger projects let you build small programs such as a robot simulation and a platform game.

• Full book readable online for free
• Downloads as PDF, EPUB and MOBI files
• Exercises with a code sandbox and solutions
• Projects such as a platform game and a pixel art editor
• Translations in several languages

Beginners who want a thorough introduction to JavaScript, and self-taught developers who want to fill gaps in their understanding. It also works well for teachers who need a free course text.

The book is free to read online and to download. A paper edition is sold separately, and a paper version with an extra chapter is being published by No Starch Press. The text is licensed under a Creative Commons noncommercial license, and the code in it may also be considered licensed under an MIT license.