JavaScript Marks Its

Presence In Java 8s Nashorn

Java has, as it is, been a popular and loved language in the IT fraternity since years.

And of the most popular JavaScript engine, creating news is Nashorn. It is based

on Mozilla’s Rhino (Nashorn is a German term for Rhinoceros) and is a part of

JDK 8. It has been developed in Java and is bundled with Java 8. Earlier, Rhino

used to rule Java as its embedded JavaScript engine. But, now with Java 8,

Nashorn provides a direct integration with Java programs and is every Java web

application developer’s delight.

It excels Rhino in its performance criteria and supports ECMAScript 5.1

specifications adding certain extensions. As it is, Rhino and Nashorn are direct

implementations of the JavaScript language which is being run on the JVM.

JavaScript was always an inherent part of Java family, but did not have its

individual existence much. As time went by, it became well known on the client

side of web applications and an important language. This was the prime reason

Java 8 got launched with Nashorn JavaScript engine as a complete bundle thereby,

executing JavaScript with Java easily.

In Nashorn, you will find the implementation of a lightweight JavaScript runtime,

which is high performance and hence, the Java developers are able to embed the

JavaScript in Java applications. Considered to be a better version of the javac

compiler, Nashorn bring JVM to the frontend for quick and efficient execution of

JavaScript.

What does Nashorn offer?

There is availability of thorough functioning of the supplied libraries under

localization

There is standardization of error messages and documentation

It defines a new command line, jjs, to evaluate the code in scripts and

documents

It invokes Java code from JS

There is complete support for functional interfaces

It offers enhanced performance and memory utilization as against Rhino

It imbibes comprehensive adaptation of the ECMASCript-262 Edition 5.1

language specifications

It supports javax.script API

There is provision for direct mapping to JavaBeans

There are precise security measures to avoid risks

Areas Nashorn Needs to Address

As two sides of a coin, Nashorn, along with its salient features also carries a few

dark areas which have to be thought upon and adhered to.

There is no support to other features of Edition 6

There is no inclusion of a browser plug-in API

Rhino has a debugging support which is missing here

There is no inclusion of support for DOM / CSS and other relevant libraries

The good part is that due to certain available solutions and APIs, the work doesn’t

get hindered and hence does not hamper the developer’s work. And of course, due

to its key benefits and attractive features, Nashorn creates a liveable experience

with excellent results. Because of Nashorn, JavaScript has come to the front and

has shined out with its capabilities as an independent technology. It is definitely

worth an experience, try out JS and Nashorn and explore the world of efficient

programming.