V8 Engine and How it Optimizes Your JavaScript Code
Tags: javascript, webdev, beginners, programming
Published: 2022-07-05 14:26:45

Today’s digital world is all about speed and performance. The moment users land on your webpage, you have less than 1 second to impress them. If the site takes more than 3 seconds to load, they will abandon it and look for an alternative that loads faster. The V8 engine is an essential part of Google Chrome because it optimizes your JavaScript code and makes it run faster. But what exactly is the V8 engine and how does it optimize your code? Keep reading to find out!

## What is a V8 Engine?
The V8 engine is the open-source JavaScript engine that powers Chrome and Node.js. What this means is that V8 takes the human readable code written in JavaScript and compiles it into machine code that the computer can understand and execute. To understand this better, let’s take the example of Java. When Java is running on your machine, you can see the actual code that’s running on your system. This is not the case with JavaScript. Even though we can see the code on the screen, it’s not the actual code that’s running. The code that we see is a human-readable representation of the actual code that’s running on our system. This is because JavaScript is an interpreted language, which means a program called a “compiler” translates the code from human-readable form to actual machine code.

## 3 Reasons Why You Should Care About V8 Engine
 

### Fast Loading Times 
The first reason you should care about V8 Engine is that it makes your site load faster. V8 engine compiles the human-readable code into an actual machine-readable code. This means that the browser can read and process the code much quicker than it would if it were in a human-readable form. So, if your site is built on JavaScript, you can rest assured that your site will load much faster than it would with a different language. 

### Improved Performance
The second reason you should care about the V8 Engine is that it can improve your site’s performance. This means that your site will run smoothly, without any hiccups. V8 Engine does this by optimizing your code so that there is less lag and fewer errors. The fewer lag and errors your site have, the smoother and more enjoyable it will be for your visitors. 

### Optimized 
for Modern Apps - The third reason you should care about the V8 Engine is that it was developed with modern apps in mind. This means that it is equipped with features that will allow you to build more sophisticated and powerful apps than you could with other languages. With a powerful language like JavaScript, your app will be more useful and engaging for your users.
Detecting and Optimizing Runtime Variables and Functions
Another way the V8 optimizes your code is by detecting and optimizing runtime variables and functions. It can find which variables and functions are used during runtime and compile only those needed. This means that it compiles only what you need and nothing more, which means that your code will run faster. This works by using a two-step process. First, it loads the code and marks all the runtime variables as “unused”. Once the code is finished loading, it goes through the code again and marks all the variables that are being used. This way, it knows which variables and functions to compile and which ones to discard.

## Garbage Collection in v8
Another important function of the V8 engine is garbage collection. This is how the V8 engine keeps the memory free from unused data. This is important because if there is a piece of data in the memory that your application does not need, then it is taking up space that could be used by something else. So, the V8 engine cleans up this unused data so that more data can be stored in the memory and your application can run smoothly. There are separate ways in which garbage collection can be conducted, but one of the most popular methods is reference counting. This means that the computer keeps track of how many places the data is being used, and once no places are using it, the computer removes it. This is important because your computer’s resources are finite, and you don’t want it to store data that it doesn’t need.

## JavaScript Compiler in V8
Another important function of the V8 engine is the JavaScript compiler. This is the part of the engine that compiles your human-readable code into actual machine code. The compiler handles turning your code into something that the computer can understand and execute. V8 engine’s compiler has been open source from the very beginning, which means that anyone can look at the code and learn from it. This makes it easier for developers to understand and control the compilation process, which means that they have more power over their code and can use it more efficiently.

## Conclusion
The V8 engine is an important part of Google Chrome because it optimizes your JavaScript code and makes it run faster. This is important for a couple of reasons. First, it means that your site will load faster, which is important because people are less likely to visit a site that takes a long time to load. Second, it means that your site will run more smoothly, which is important because no one likes to visit a site that freezes or lags. If your site is built on JavaScript, you can rest assured that it will be optimized by the V8 engine and run smoothly and quickly.