Java vs. JavaScript
Unrelated languages that share a name from a 1995 marketing decision — Java is a compiled language for enterprise backends and Android; JavaScript is the scripting language of the browser, and via Node.js, servers too. This is the classic case recruiters get burned by.
How to tell them apart on a resume
Java
Sits next to Spring, Spring Boot, Hibernate, Maven/Gradle, or the JVM — enterprise backend or (often older) Android work.
JavaScript
Sits next to React, Node.js, npm, Express, or TypeScript — frontend or full-stack web work.
The question that settles it
“When the posting or resume just says "Java" — is that the JVM language, or shorthand for JavaScript?”
Read the full definitions
Open the full tool for the other look-alike pairs, role profiles, and the JD decoder.