JS1K was an annualJavaScript programming competition that challenged developers to create small, creative web applications using no more than 1kilobyte (1024bytes) of JavaScript code.[1] Running from 2010 to 2019, the contest became a showcase for ingenuity in minimalist programming and a celebration of technical creativity within the constraints of browser-based development.[2]
Each edition of JS1K imposed a strict limit of 1024 bytes of JavaScript code with a “no externals” rule: all entries had to be entirely self-contained using only standard web APIs (mainly vanilla JavaScript and HTML5 features) without any external resources or libraries.[3] A basic HTML environment, including a `<canvas>` element, was provided for rendering, and the use of heavier technologies such asWebGL was initially disallowed to maintain cross-browser compatibility.[1]
Entries had to run directly in major web browsers likeGoogle Chrome,Mozilla Firefox, andOpera.[1]
Each year featured an optional theme—such as “Love” (2012), “Dragons” (2014), or “Magic” (2017)—that guided participants’ creativity.[4] For example, the 2013 theme, “Spring,” inspired floral animations and physics-based interactive demos.[1] While themes encouraged artistic cohesion, off-theme submissions were accepted as long as they adhered to the 1K limit.
Despite the extreme size constraint, participants regularly produced advanced visual and interactive projects—some achieving 3D rendering, particle systems, or full mini-games within the 1K limit.[1] Notable entries included:
The 2014 winning entry,DragonDrop, featured an interactive 3D crystal dragon that users could manipulate in real time.[6]
Over time, JS1K became regarded as a “legendary” JavaScript contest, inspiring a wave of creative coding and popularizingcode golf-style competitions within the web community. Its influence extended to thedemoscene and creative coding communities, demonstrating that expressive and technically impressive work could be produced within extreme constraints.
After nearly a decade of annual contests, JS1K concluded in 2019. In 2020, a successor event calledJS1024 was launched to continue the minimalist JavaScript tradition, extending the size limit to 1024 bytes per category while maintaining the same spirit of creativity and constraint.
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