The State of Developer Ecosystem Report 2024 by JetBrains gives a snapshot of the developer world, based on insights from 23,262 developers worldwide. The survey shows that JavaScript remains the most-used programming language globally, with 61% of developers using it to build web pages.

Figure 1: Which programming languages have you used in the last 12 months? (source: JetBrains)

Key Takeaways

• Demographically, the U.S. represented a large share of respondents with 15%, followed by Germany at 8%, France at 7%, and Spain and the United Kingdom at 4% each.
• The average age of survey respondents was 33.5 years. Age and income were positively correlated, and younger respondents showed more gender diversity, suggesting changing demographics.
• 51% of participants had 10 years or less of experience, while 33% had between 10 and 20 years of experience.
• 95% of respondents used JavaScript in a professional capacity, and 40% used it as a hobby in 2024, up from 91% and 37% in 2023.
• 98% reported using JavaScript for frontend development and 64% for backend. Additionally, 26% used it for mobile apps and 18% for desktop apps.

Figure 2: JavaScript use case (source: State of JS)

The most common application patterns remain the classic ones: Single-Page Apps (90%) and Server-Side Rendering (59%). Static Site Generation came in third position with 46%.

The survey also looked at AI usage to generate code. 20% of respondents said they never use it for coding, while 7% reported using it about half the time.

TypeScript vs. JavaScript

TypeScript has seen impressive growth, as its adoption has risen from 12% in 2017 to 35% in 2024, according to JetBrains’ report. 67% of respondents reported writing more TypeScript than JavaScript code, and the largest group consists of people who only write TypeScript.

Figure 3: TypeScript usage (source: State of JS)

TypeScript’s popularity is due to its enhanced features to write better JavaScript code. It detects errors early during development, improves code quality, and makes long-term maintenance easier, which is a huge plus for developers. However, TypeScript isn’t here to replace JavaScript. They’ll just coexist, giving developers more options based on what they need and prefer.

Libraries and Frameworks

Webpack is the most used JavaScript tool, as 85.3% of respondents reported using it. However, Vite takes the lead for the most loved, earning 56% of positive feedback. Despite being relatively new, Vite is also the third most used tool with 78.1% adoption.

React came in second for both most used (81.1%) and most loved (46.7%). 

Angular, on the other hand, ranked eighth with 50.1% usage and 23.3% positive feedback, falling behind tools like Jest, Next.js, Storybook, and Vue.js.

Figure 4: Libraries experience grouped by usage (source: State of JS)

Figure 5: Libraries experience grouped by sentiment (source: State of JS)

The survey also highlights usage trends of frontends frameworks over time. While React remains in the top spot, Vue.js continues to overtake Angular, holding on to its position as the second most used framework.

React keeps reinventing itself, transitioning from being just a library to evolving into a specification for frameworks. With the release of version 19 in December, it introduced support for web components along with new hooks and form actions that redefine how forms are handled in React. 

Vue.js’ popularity can be attributed to its flexible, comprehensive, and advanced features, which appeal to both beginners and experienced developers. Daniel Roe from the Nuxt core team credits the ecosystem’s growth to its UI libraries, with Tailwind CSS playing a key role. Its convention-based approach and cross-framework compatibility make it easier to port libraries like Radix Vue from their React counterparts. 

Angular’s third-place ranking is still a good position, as many developers and companies continue to use it for its performance, safety, and scalability. Its ecosystem, TypeScript integration, and features like dependency injection still make it an attractive choice for web development.  

Svelte’s usage is also growing steadily, with developers showing increasing favor for it after it released version 5 in October. According to Best of JS, one of its major highlights is the introduction of “runes,” a new mechanism for declaring reactive state.

Figure 6: Frontend frameworks ratios over time (source: State of JS)

Challenges and Limitations  

When asked about their biggest struggle with JavaScript, 32% of respondents pointed to the lack of a built-in type system, far ahead of browser support issues, which only 8% mentioned.

Regarding browser APIs, poor browser support was the biggest issue for 35% of respondents. Safari and the lack of documentation on browser features also came up as common problems with 6% and 5% mentions, respectively.

React, as the most used frontend framework, was also the most criticized, with 14% of respondents complaining about having issues with it. Common issues related to frameworks included excessive complexity, poor performance, choice overload, and breaking changes.

It’s exciting to see how the JavaScript ecosystem will develop in 2025, unlocking new possibilities for web development. The growing use of TypeScript will solidify as a standard for large-scale applications due to its type safety and improved developer tooling. We’ll also see the rise of server-side rendering (SSR) frameworks like Next.js and Nuxt.js, enhancing both performance and SEO. Additionally, React and Angular will continue to push forward with updates focused on optimizing the developer experience and simplifying app development. If you’re interested in diving deeper into these topics, make sure to check out our conference program for more insights and expert-led sessions!

If you want to get more details, check the JavaScript Survey page.