> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://js.maxbraglia.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Your first JavaScript file

> Create and run your first JavaScript program

## Creating hello.js

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a project folder">
    Open your terminal and create a folder for your practice files:

    ```bash theme={null}
    mkdir js-practice
    cd js-practice
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the file">
    Open this folder in VS Code:

    ```bash theme={null}
    code .
    ```

    Create a new file called `hello.js` and add this code:

    ```javascript hello.js theme={null}
    const name = "Sarah";
    const language = "JavaScript";

    console.log(`Hello, ${name}!`);
    console.log(`Welcome to ${language} for Web Dev.`);
    console.log("Let's build something.");
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run it">
    Open the integrated terminal in VS Code (`` Ctrl+` ``) and run:

    ```bash theme={null}
    node hello.js
    ```

    ```
    Hello, Sarah!
    Welcome to JavaScript for Web Dev.
    Let's build something.
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

That's it. You just wrote and ran a JavaScript program.

## What's happening here

```javascript theme={null}
const name = "Sarah";              // Create a variable
console.log(`Hello, ${name}!`);    // Print to the terminal
```

* `const` declares a variable (you'll learn more in the JavaScript Core section)
* `console.log()` prints output to the terminal — JavaScript's version of Python's `print()`
* Backticks `` ` `` with `${}` let you embed variables in strings — like Python's f-strings

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="JavaScript">
    ```javascript theme={null}
    const name = "Sarah";
    console.log(`Hello, ${name}!`);
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Python">
    ```python theme={null}
    name = "Sarah"
    print(f"Hello, {name}!")
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Try the browser console

You can also run JavaScript directly in your browser. Open any browser, press `F12`, and click the **Console** tab.

```javascript theme={null}
// Type this directly in the browser console:
console.log("This runs in the browser!");
2 + 2
// 4
```

The browser console evaluates expressions immediately and shows the result. You don't need `console.log()` for simple expressions — the console shows the return value automatically.

<Tip>
  Use the browser console for quick experiments. Use `.js` files with Node.js for anything you want to save.
</Tip>

## What's next?

You've run JavaScript in two places — Node.js and the browser console. Let's explore the different ways to run JavaScript during development.

<Card title="Running JavaScript" icon="terminal" href="/getting-started/running-javascript">
  All the ways to run JavaScript code
</Card>