Tutorial Abstracts

JavaScript is today the de-facto client-side programming language for modern web applications, and is extensively used in the client-side of web applications for interactivity and faster load times. For example, 97 of the top 100 Alexa websites use JavaScript code, often running into thousands of lines of code. However, JavaScript is notorious for its difficult-to-analyze constructs and “laissez-faire” programming style, which makes it challenging to build reliable web applications in JavaScript. This tutorial will present approaches to assess and improve the reliability of modern JavaScript-based web applications. In the first part of the tutorial, we will present empirical studies on the reliability of modern web applications, through field data studies, bug databases and online fora such as StackOverflow. We will then proceed to explore automated tools and techniques for web applications´ testing, understanding and fault mitigation (i.e., repair). Finally, we will conclude with some tools for building robust client-side web applications, and discuss open issues and research problems.