jQuery is a fast, small, and feature-rich JavaScript library. It makes things like HTML document traversal and manipulation, event handling, animation, and Ajax much simpler with an easy-to-use API that works across a multitude of browsers. With a combination of versatility and extensibility, jQuery has changed the way that millions of people write JavaScript.

One important thing to know is that jQuery is just a JavaScript library. All the power of jQuery is accessed via JavaScript, so having a strong grasp of JavaScript is essential for understanding, structuring, and debugging your code. While working with jQuery regularly can, over time, improve your proficiency with JavaScript, it can be hard to get started writing jQuery without a working knowledge of JavaScript's built-in constructs and syntax. Therefore, if you're new to JavaScript, we recommend checking out the JavaScript basics tutorial on the Mozilla Developer Network (MDN).