An ECMAScript engine is a program that executes source code written in a version of the ECMAScript language standard, for example JavaScript.

List of ECMAScript engines

These are new generation ECMAScript engines for web browsers, all implementing just-in-time compilation (JIT) or variations of that idea. The performance benefits for just-in-time compilation make it much more suitable for web applications written in JavaScript.

• Carakan: A JavaScript engine developed by Opera Software ASA,^[1] included in the 10.50^[2] release of the Opera web browser.
• Chakra: A new IE JScript engine used in Internet Explorer 9. It was first previewed at MIX 10 as part of the Internet Explorer Platform Preview.^[3]
• SpiderMonkey: A JavaScript engine in Mozilla Gecko applications, including Firefox. The engine has two types of JIT compilers, that are sometimes referred to as JägerMonkey or TraceMonkey.
• SquirrelFish: The JavaScript engine for Apple Inc.'s WebKit. Also known as Nitro.^[4]
• Tamarin: An ActionScript and ECMAScript engine used in Adobe Flash.
• V8: A JavaScript engine used in Google Chrome.
• JavaScriptCore: A JavaScript interpreter that was originally derived from KJS. It is used in the WebKit project and applications such as Safari.
• Nashorn: A JavaScript engine used in Oracle Java JDK.

The following engines use runtime interpreters, which do not compile into native machine code and generally run more slowly.

• Futhark: The ECMAScript engine of the Opera web browser versions 9.50 to 10.10.
• InScript: An obsolete proprietary library used for iCab 2 and 3
• JScript: The engine that is used in Internet Explorer for versions up to IE9, and one component of the Trident layout engine.
• KJS: The engine used in Konqueror, and one component of KHTML, a predecessor to JavaScriptCore.
• Linear B: The ECMAScript engine of the Opera web browser versions 7.0 to 9.50, exclusive.
• Narcissus: JavaScript implemented in JavaScript (a meta-circular evaluator), intended to run in another JavaScript engine, of theoretical and educational nature only.
• QtScript: Originally developed by Trolltech, now owned by Nokia. It provides QObject integration with JavaScriptCore.
• Rhino: One of several JavaScript engines from Mozilla, using the Java Platform.
• YAJI: An ECMAScript engine based on an implementation by Jean-Marc Lugrin in 1999, currently being developed to support the latest standards (Spec 262, v5.1^[5]).

References