Does JavaScript have both a compiler and an interpreter?

Question

I've heard these terms used in different blogs and was curious if there was a difference.

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 10 '15 at 17:20

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A COMPILER converts source code (the code you've written) into machine code for the computer to understand.

An INTERPRETER directly executes your code without previously compiling it into machine code.

answered Nov 10 '15 at 17:20

Jellal Saleh

36
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score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 10 '15 at 17:16

Javascript can be run with just an interpreter, the program that parses the script and executes the code.

However, some environments (like Chrome's V8 Javascript engine), will use a compiler to convert some of the Javascript code into a lower level language, which it can execute faster. It's a big part of why Javascript can be executed at near-native speeds now.

Does JavaScript have both a compiler and an interpreter?

2 Answers2