Overview
AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) allows web pages to be updated asynchronously by exchanging data with a web server behind the scenes. This means it is possible to update parts of a web page without reloading the whole page.
Core Technologies
- HTML/CSS: For presentation.
- DOM: For dynamic display and interaction.
- XMLHttpRequest: For asynchronous data exchange (now often replaced by Fetch API).
- JavaScript: To tie everything together.
Impact
AJAX was the catalyst for the 'Web 2.0' era, enabling the creation of highly interactive and responsive web applications like Gmail and Google Maps.