John Resig

John Resig is the Dean of Computer Science at Khan Academy and the creator of the jQuery JavaScript library. jQuery is currently used in 58% of the top 10,000 websites (according to BuiltWith.com) and is used on tens of millions of other sites, making it one of the most popular technologies used to build websites and possibly one of the most popular programming technologies of all time.

He’s also created a number of other open source utilities and projects, including Processing.js (a port of the Processing language to JavaScript), QUnit (a test suite for testing JavaScript code), and TestSwarm (a platform for distributed JavaScript testing).

He is currently working to take Computer Science education a step further at Khan Academy, where he’s developing Computer Science curriculum and tools to teach people of all ages how to program. Khan Academy’s goal is to create excellent educational resources that are freely available for all to learn from. He’s working to not just teach people how to program, but to replicate the initial spark of excitement that every programmer has felt after writing their first program.

Currently, John is located in Brooklyn, NY, and enjoys studying Ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock printing) in his spare time.

books by John Resig

Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja, Third Edition
  • MEAP began December 2024
  • Publication in Fall 2025 (estimated)
  • ISBN 9781633436121
  • 450 pages (estimated)
Included with a Manning Online subscription
  • printed in black & white

Whether you’re a JavaScript novice or a battle-hardened web developer, you’ll love Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja, Third Edition! Written for web developers who know the basics of JavaScript or TypeScript, this amazing book delivers best practices for writing code that’s readable, reliable, and performant. This fully-revised third edition includes TypeScript techniques, along with modern tools like ESLint that help you catch bugs before they crash your apps. Plus, you’ll find practical tips on overcoming common pain points in modern JavaScript development, such as the divide between ECMAScript and CommonJS modules.

Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja, Second Edition
  • August 2016
  • ISBN 9781617292859
  • 464 pages
Included with a Manning Online subscription
  • printed in black & white
  • Available translations: Complex Chinese, Russian, Simplified Chinese

Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja, Second Edition uses practical examples to clearly illustrate each core concept and technique. This completely revised edition shows you how to master key JavaScript concepts such as functions, closures, objects, prototypes, and promises. It covers APIs such as the DOM, events, and timers. You'll discover best practice techniques such as testing, and cross-browser development, all taught from the perspective of skilled JavaScript practitioners.

Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja
  • December 2012
  • ISBN 9781933988696
  • 392 pages
Included with a Manning Online subscription
  • printed in black & white
  • Available translations: Korean

You can't always attack software head-on. Sometimes you come at it sideways or sneak up from behind. You need to master an arsenal of tools and know every stealthy trick. You have to be a ninja.

Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja leads you down the pathway to JavaScript enlightenment. This unique book starts with key concepts, like the relationships between functions, objects, and closures, taught from the master's perspective. You'll grow from apprentice to ninja as you soak up fresh insights on the techniques you use every day and discover features and capabilities you never knew about. When you reach the final chapters, you'll be ready to code brilliant JavaScript applications and maybe even write your own libraries and frameworks.

You don't have to be a ninja to read this book—just be willing to become one. Are you ready?