Analyzing the Evolution of Javascript Applications

Abstract

Software evolution analysis can shed light on various aspects of software development and maintenance. Up to date, there is little empirical evidence on the evolution of JavaScript (JS) applications in terms of maintainability and changeability, even though JavaScript is among the most popular scripting languages for front-end web applications, including IoT applications. In this study, we investigate JS applications’ quality and changeability trends over time by examining the relevant Laws of Lehman. We analyzed over 7,500 releases of JS applications and reached some interesting conclusions. The results show that JS applications continuously change and grow, there are no clear signs of quality degradation while the complexity remains the same over time, despite the fact that the understandability of the code deteriorates.