Updated March 6, 2023
Difference Between JavaScript and VBScript
VBScript is supported by Microsoft that was developed in 1995. VBScript has more common properties, and usage is very limited to Excel. The language is not case sensitive and the statements have to be written in individual rows. In order to create a variable, two statements are needed in the language. JavaScript is more generic in use and is not case sensitive. Variable creation is easy and a single statement is needed to do the same. JavaScript is easier to use, and each statement are separated with semicolons. JavaScript is more complex than VBScript. Several language operators are used in both languages.
What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is an object-oriented scripting language that allows you to create dynamic HTML pages with interactive effects within a webpage. JavaScript was available in the browser until Google chrome released its JavaScript engine as “node.js”. JavaScript allows you to process and maintain data within the browser. We can use JavaScript across full-stack development with the help of node.js, which helps front-end developers handle back-end logic and application programming interface without learning a new programming language. Brendan Eich created JavaScript at Netscape, which came into existence in 1995. It runs on a web-browser only, and it is an interpreted programming language. JavaScript allows client-side scripts to interact with the users, communicate asynchronously, control the browsers and alter the web page content, which is displayed can be achieved through JavaScript.
What is VBScript?
VBScript is a general scripting language developed on visual basic and developed by Microsoft. It is also called as an active scripting language. It is a visual basic edition scripting language as it is developed (modeled) based on visual basic to be a lightweight scripting language with a fast interpreter. VBScript is supported only by browser Internet Explorer, and it is mostly used in Microsoft environments and visual basic language products. It will be installed by default in every windows desktop version. VBScript can be executed through a windows script host and can be embedded through Microsoft script control. VBScript uses a common object model to access the environment variables; file system objects used for reading, writing, updating, delete operations, and general scripting language. VBScript is mostly used by system administrators, test automation scripting language for different tools such as QTP. VBScript is an easy, scripting language to learn.
Head To Head Comparison Between JavaScript and VBScript (Infographics)
Below is the top 6 difference between JavaScript vs VBScript
Key Differences Between JavaScript and VBScript
Both are popular choices in the market; let us discuss some of the major difference:
- JavaScript is not a true object-oriented scripting language as it doesn’t support inheritance concept, subroutines. Still, it supports the usage of an object, the definition of classes for subsequent object creation. In contrast, VBScript is also not a true object-oriented scripting language as it doesn’t support inheritance, object usage, and classes usage but supports reusable functions and subroutines.
- JavaScript is a default scripting language for most of browsers, whereas VBScript is not a default scripting language, and we need to mention it as a scripting language.
- JavaScript is a case-sensitive scripting language, whereas VBScript is not a case-sensitive scripting language.
- JavaScript syntax is similar to the C programming language, whereas VBScript syntax is similar to Visual Basic as it is a subpart of it, and it follows the syntax of the visual basic.
- JavaScript is used as a client-side scripting language, whereas VBScript can be used as both server-side and client-side scripting language.
- JavaScript uses the same operator for different operations, whereas VBScript uses different operators for different operations.
JavaScript vs VBScript Comparison Table
Below is the topmost comparison between JavaScript vs VBScript
| The Basis of comparison | JavaScript | VBScript |
| Usage | JavaScript is being used for various operations on web browsers like display ads on various websites, set and read cookies from the browser, shopping websites and login page handling for almost all websites in different browsers. JavaScript used as a client-side scripting language. | VBScript is being used for various applications like embedded applications, human to machine interfaces. VBScript can be used for both server-side and client-side applications too. |
| Syntactic Difference | JavaScript syntax is similar to the C programming language. It uses the same operator for different operations; for example, + operator is being used for addition and concatenation, case-sensitive language. | VBScript syntax is similar to visual basic as it is developed based on Visual Basic, and it follows the visual basic syntax for the application development. It uses different operators for different operations, for example, + operator for addition & operator for concatenation and not a case-sensitive language. |
| Browser Support | JavaScript is a default scripting language for most of web browsers and supports almost all web browsers as it supports cross-platform. It can able to read and modify the HTML elements from the IE browser, can automate the ActiveX component in the browser. | VBScript is not a default scripting language for browsers as it supports only Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge browser. We need to specify it as a scripting language. It can able to read and modify the HTML elements from the IE browser and can automate the ActiveX component in the IE browser. |
| Functions declaration | In JavaScript functions are declared using curly braces like as below:
Function Add(a, b){ Return a+b; } It supports only functions and doesn’t support subroutines. The file extensions of JavaScript is .js |
In VBScript, functions are declared using Function and end function as below:
Function add(val x, val y) Add = x+y End Function It supports both functions and subroutines. The file extension of VBScript is .vbs or VBA. |
| Functionality Support | JavaScript is an object-oriented scripting language, and it is not perfectly object-oriented, doesn’t support the inheritance concept. It supports strong usage of objects and declaration of classes for the later creation of the objects subsequently and doesn’t support subroutines. | VBScript is also a partially object-oriented scripting language. It doesn’t support the inheritance concept, usage of objects, object creation, user-defined classes. It supports reusable functions and subroutines. |
| Learning Curve | The javaScript learning curve is very good as it has a lot of sources in online and offline, online forums, communities by which we can get knowledge and clarify our doubts. We can able to see the output of the work on the web browsers live. | VBScript learning curve is not as good as JavaScript. It is not as popular as JavaScript as it mostly used by applications associated with Microsoft products. It has online forums and communities, and sources to learn and gets doubt clarified. |
Conclusion
Finally, it’s an overview of the comparison between the two scripting languages, JavaScript vs VBScript. I hope you will have a good comparison view between these languages after reading this JavaScript vs VBScript article. We have seen the advantages and disadvantages of both scripting languages, and the user needs to decide which scripting language to use based on his requirements. In my opinion, JavaScript is the best scripting language among them.
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