Great JavaScript Syntax Highlighters Available for Web Development

There are several great JavaScript syntax highlighters available for web development. Here are some of the most popular and widely used options:

1. Prism.js

Website: https://prismjs.com

Description: Prism is a lightweight, extensible, and fast syntax highlighter. It supports many languages, including JavaScript. It’s designed to be easy to use and integrates seamlessly with most web applications.

Features:

• Supports theming and customization.
• Includes various plugins, such as line numbers, highlighting specific lines, and more.
• Very lightweight and fast compared to other options.

Example Usage:

<link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/prismjs@1.24.1/themes/prism.css" rel="stylesheet">linebreakmarker<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/prismjs@1.24.1/prism.js"></script>linebreakmarker<pre><code class="language-javascript">const hello = "Hello, world!";</code></pre>

2. Highlight.js

Website: https://highlightjs.org

Description: Highlight.js is another popular syntax highlighter that supports more than 189 languages, including JavaScript. It’s easy to implement and automatically detects the language.

Features:

• Autodetection of languages (great for mixed content).
• Supports line numbers, themes, and custom styling.
• Works well with both static and dynamic content.

Example Usage:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/highlight.js/11.8.0/styles/default.min.css">linebreakmarker<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/highlight.js/11.8.0/highlight.min.js"></script>linebreakmarker<script>hljs.highlightAll();</script>linebreakmarker<pre><code class="javascript">const greet = "Hello, world!";</code></pre>

3. Ace Editor

Website: https://ace.c9.io

Description: Ace is a full-fledged code editor that can be embedded in web pages, and it comes with robust syntax highlighting for JavaScript and many other languages. It's great if you want a more interactive or editor-like experience.

Features:

• Full-fledged code editor with features like autocompletion and code folding.
• Supports themes, keybindings, and various language modes.
• Ideal for embedding interactive code environments.

Example Usage:

<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/ace/1.4.12/ace.js"></script>linebreakmarker<div id="editor">const hello = "Hello, world!";</div>linebreakmarker<script>linebreakmarker  var editor = ace.edit("editor");linebreakmarker  editor.session.setMode("ace/mode/javascript");linebreakmarker</script>

4. CodeMirror

Website: https://codemirror.net

Description: CodeMirror is a versatile code editor that can be embedded into websites with syntax highlighting for JavaScript and many other languages. It also supports features like autocompletion, syntax checking, and more.

Features:

• Highly customizable and extensible.
• Supports features like code folding, autocompletion, and syntax checking.
• Works well for both simple and complex editing environments.

Example Usage:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/codemirror/5.65.5/codemirror.min.css">linebreakmarker<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/codemirror/5.65.5/codemirror.min.js"></script>linebreakmarker<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/codemirror/5.65.5/mode/javascript/javascript.min.js"></script>linebreakmarker<textarea id="editor">const hello = "Hello, world!";</textarea>linebreakmarker<script>linebreakmarker  var editor = CodeMirror.fromTextArea(document.getElementById("editor"), {linebreakmarker    mode: "javascript",linebreakmarker    lineNumbers: true,linebreakmarker  });linebreakmarker</script>

5. Rainbow

Website: https://giorgiox.github.io/rainbow/

Description: Rainbow is a lightweight syntax highlighter with support for many programming languages, including JavaScript. It’s very easy to use and has a minimalistic approach to integration.

Features:

• Lightweight and fast.
• Easy to use with minimal setup.
• Customizable themes.

Example Usage:

<script src="https://cdn.rawgit.com/ccampbell/rainbow/1.2.0/js/rainbow.min.js"></script>linebreakmarker<pre><code class="javascript">const hello = "Hello, world!";</code></pre>linebreakmarker<script>linebreakmarker  Rainbow.color();linebreakmarker</script>

Summary

If you are looking for a simple and lightweight syntax highlighter, Prism.js or Highlight.js would be excellent choices. For more interactive and feature-rich editing environments, Ace Editor or CodeMirror are better suited. Choose the one that best fits your needs based on the complexity and requirements of your project.