jQuery
A JavaScript library that simplifies finding and changing web page elements and handling events and AJAX.
- Stars
- 59.8k
- Forks
- 20.7k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 5 days ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
jQuery is a JavaScript library for working with web pages. It offers shorter, consistent ways to select page elements, change them, respond to user events, and make AJAX requests. The README describes it as a library you can use in browsers and also in Node and other non-browser environments. You can build a full copy or a custom one that includes only the modules you need.
- Select page elements and change their content, classes, or styles
- Handle user events such as clicks with .on() and .off()
- Make AJAX requests with $.ajax(), $.get(), or $.post()
- Build a slim or custom jQuery file that leaves out modules you do not use
Great for
- Developers maintaining existing websites or plugins that already depend on jQuery
- Developers who want a custom, smaller build containing only the modules they use
- Students learning how DOM manipulation and events work in older web code
Not ideal for
- New projects that want modern framework features, since the README does not position jQuery as a full application framework
- Teams that need the 2.x or 1.x branches, which the README says are no longer supported
- Projects needing security patches on 3.x beyond critical updates, since 3.x receives only critical-only support
How to get it
- 1
Clone and build from source
You'll need: Node.js (latest version, per README) · git 1.7 or later
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/jquery/jquery.gitInstall dependencies and build
cd jquery && npm install && npm run build - 2
Run it
- Clone the repository with git.
- Enter the jquery directory and run npm install.
- Run npm run build to create files in the dist/ directory.
- Include the built jquery.js file in your web page with a script tag.
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Run npm run build:all to produce all release variants, including slim and ES module versions
- Use --include or --exclude options to create a custom build with only the modules you need
- Use npm run build -- --help to see the full list of build options
- Use --esm to generate an ECMAScript module build
Downloads
Strengths
- Widely documented and used, with a large existing ecosystem of plugins
- Modular build system lets you exclude features like animation or AJAX to reduce size
- MIT licensed and actively maintained, with version 4.0.0 released
Trade-offs
- The README notes that 3.x gets only critical updates and 2.x and 1.x are unsupported
- Modern browsers offer many built-in APIs that overlap with jQuery features
- Building from source requires Node.js and git, which adds setup for non-developers
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| jquery (this) | 59.8k | Library | beginner | 5 days ago | Developers maintaining existing websites or plugins that already depend on jQuery |
| react | 252k | Library | intermediate | 6 days ago | Developers building interactive web interfaces with JavaScript |
| vue | 212k | Library | intermediate | 2.1 years ago | Maintaining an existing Vue 2 application that cannot yet be upgraded |
| cheerio | 30.5k | Library | beginner | 4 days ago | JavaScript developers who already know jQuery-style selectors |
| select2 | 25.9k | Library | beginner | 8 days ago | Web developers who already use jQuery and want a better dropdown |
| tui.editor | 18k | Library | intermediate | 2.3 years ago | Web developers who want an embeddable Markdown editor in their own site or app |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.