Sometimes it's better to browse without Javascript
Luis Ch January 31, 2025 #javascript #web #privacyIntro
I use multiple browsers to surf the internet, one for work and others for personal and educational use. And yes, I know that modern browsers allow us to create multiple profiles, but I prefer to use another browser for work.
Why disable Javascript
When I have low bandwidth, or simply want to save mobile data, I use the browser with javascript disabled. Some web pages just don't work without javascript, like Youtube or X for example. However, I have been testing it for quite a while and I have noticed that many others, from my point of view, work better without Javascript.
Lobste.rs case
A few weeks ago, a website I used to visit almost daily Lobste.rs[1] blocked all Brave browser requests, so I couldn't access it from my computer or my phone. Unless I used a browser other than Brave. You can see in their github Why Brave is blocked?[2]
However, a few days ago I was able to access Lobste.rs[1] from Brave and I thought they had removed the block, but they didn't. The reason I was able to access the webpage is because I had javascript disabled.
Since then I have been browsing their website and everything works perfectly.
Final Thoughts
This is the best example I could find, to demonstrate why sometimes it is better to navigate without javascript. Among other benefits we can notice that the pages load faster and do not download ads or unnecessary content like trackers[3], improving privacy and user experience.
Obviously I am referring to some web pages, in which Javascript is superfluous and does not add value, as is the case of news portals and blogs. I kindly invite you to browse tech news like Techcrunch[4] and try to notice the difference when browsing with and without Javascript enabled.