--- title: "Don't get lost in the JavaScript jungle" url: "https://www.bekk.christmas/post/2018/19/don't-get-lost-in-the-javascript-jungle" authors: ["Eirik Vigeland"] published: "2018-12-19" updated: "2024-11-07T13:05:28Z" language: "en-US" type: "article" tags: ["JavaScript"] --- # Don't get lost in the JavaScript jungle JavaScript is a fast-paced language in regards to adaption and growth. By the end of 2017 there was an estimated 9.7 million JavaScript developers, which suggest that we might have passed [10 million in 2018](https://blog.npmjs.org/post/180868064080/this-year-in-javascript-2018-in-review-and-npms). ## In short JavaScript evolves quickly, with a large developer community, a huge package ecosystem, and yearly ECMAScript updates. Following well-known JavaScript developers and contributors on Twitter can help you keep up with new ideas, tools, and library work. - **For:** JavaScript developers who want to stay up to date - **Good to know beforehand:** Basic familiarity with JavaScript _AI-generated_ With that many developers it might not come as a surprise that [NPM](https://www.npmjs.com) (the node package manager) is the largest collection of open-source libraries on the planet ([over 836,000](https://blog.npmjs.org/post/180868064080/this-year-in-javascript-2018-in-review-and-npms) packages and counting - so go publish one!). [TC-39](https://javascript.christmas/2018/1) has also vowed to develop the ECMAScript standard and publish a new version every year with [new features](https://github.com/tc39/proposals). This means that keeping up with the amount of activity in the JavaScript community can become a daunting task, but not impossible! The best way of staying up-to-date is to follow developers and JavaScript enthusiasts on Twitter. So don't get lost in the JavaScript jungle, use this list of recommendations as your guide for starters: - [@BrendanEich](https://twitter.com/BrendanEich) Hopefully you've already heard about Brendan Eich. He is the creator of JavaScript! - [@dan_abramov](https://twitter.com/dan_abramov) Dan Abramov works for Facebook. He created and co-authored Redux. - [@mjackson](https://twitter.com/mjackson) Micheal Jackson, not the late great king of pop, but the king/co-author of react-router and react training. - [@getify](https://twitter.com/getify) Kyle Simpson. If you haven't already, you should definitely read the YDKJS (You Don't Know JS) book series written by Kyle. But first, follow him on twitter! - [@_ericelliott](https://twitter.com/_ericelliott) Eric Elliot, author of "Programming JavaScript Applications", JavaScript instructor, editor of JavaScript Scene, and developer. - [@rauschma](https://twitter.com/rauschma) Axel Rauschmayer, the man behind the [2ality](http://2ality.com/) blog and also author of many books about JavaScript. - [@sophiebits](https://twitter.com/sophiebits) Sophie Alpert, engineer at Facebook working on React. - [@kentcdodds](https://twitter.com/kentcdodds) Kent C. Dodds, instructor at [egghead.io](http://egghead.io) and engineer at PayPal. - [@wSokra](https://twitter.com/wSokra) Tobias Koppers, the creator of Webpack. You can read more about bundling your app with Webpack (or Parcel) [here](https://javascript.christmas/2018/10), if you haven't already. Not enough for you? Head over to [this tweet by Dan Abramov](https://twitter.com/dan_abramov/status/937339649537781762) for more JavaScript people to follow!