Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
ECMAScript is the formal standard for the language most people call JavaScript. Ecma International publishes it as ECMA-262, while TC39 develops the language and advances proposals through a consensus-based process. A proposal’s stage tells you how mature its design is—not when it will ship. Stage 4 makes it eligible for integration into the specification; publication follows a separate annual approval process.
What is ECMAScript?
ECMAScript is a general-purpose, cross-platform, vendor-neutral programming language standardized by Ecma International. The ECMA-262 specification defines its syntax, behavior, built-in libraries and related technologies. The current published edition is ECMA-262, ECMAScript 2026, 17th edition, published in June 2026. Ecma identifies the HTML edition as normative; the PDF is provided for printing.
JavaScript is the familiar name associated with the standardized language, not a separate competing language. Ecma identifies JavaScript as an Oracle trademark and ECMAScript as an Ecma registered trademark. In everyday use, “JavaScript” is the usual name for the language; “ECMAScript” commonly refers to the standard that defines it.
Who decides what enters the language?
Ecma Technical Committee 39, or TC39, maintains ECMAScript and authors its specification. It considers proposals and uses consensus to decide whether they advance. Stage changes require committee approval, so a proposal’s progress is not simply an author’s decision or an automatic outcome of a browser implementing it.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
TC39’s stages are maturity signals. They do not promise a release date, inclusion in a particular edition, or support in a particular browser or runtime. The committee’s process document describes the criteria and approximate path from idea to published standard.
What do TC39 proposal stages mean?
| Stage | Meaning | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| 0 — Strawperson | An idea is being explored by its authors; it is not currently under committee consideration. | Committee endorsement or a settled design. |
| 1 — Proposal under consideration | A champion or champion group and a public proposal repository exist. TC39 examines the problem, possible solutions and cross-cutting concerns. | That TC39 has selected a final approach. |
| 2 — Draft design | TC39 has chosen a preferred solution or solution space. The proposal describes high-level syntax or APIs, examples and initial specification text. | That the design is final or the feature will ship. A Stage 2 proposal may never be included. |
| 2.7 — Validation | The design and specification text are complete enough for validation. Reviewers and the relevant editor group have signed off; rigorous tests and specification-compliant prototypes help check the design. | Final approval for integration or publication. |
| 3 — Implementation experience | The design is recommended for implementation. Shipping implementations and practical feedback help expose implementation, web-compatibility and integration issues. | That the feature is already in the published standard. |
| 4 — Finished | The proposal is complete and ready for specification integration, subject to the stated completion criteria. | That the feature has already appeared in a published edition or is supported everywhere. |
The current process uses Stage 2.7; older descriptions may use different stage numbering. Check the current TC39 process page when interpreting a proposal’s status.
Rank #2
What must happen for a proposal to reach Stage 4?
Stage 4 requires more than an appealing design or an implementation experiment. TC39’s criteria include two compatible implementations passing Test262 acceptance tests, significant in-the-field experience with shipping implementations, integrated specification text submitted to the relevant ECMA-262 or ECMA-402 repository, and sign-off from the relevant editor group. Stage 4 means the proposal is ready to be integrated; it does not itself publish a new edition.
How does a Stage 4 proposal become part of the published standard?
TC39’s process document gives an approximate annual schedule, not a guarantee for any particular proposal. In that schedule, a candidate draft is produced on February 1. At the March TC39 meeting, Stage 4 proposals are incorporated, final semantics are approved and a new specification version is branched. The Ecma Executive Committee and General Assembly review it from April through June, and the General Assembly approves the new standard in July.
This distinguishes two decisions: TC39 advances proposals and prepares the specification, while Ecma’s General Assembly approves the published standard. A Stage 4 proposal may be ready for integration, but its timing depends on the edition process.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to check whether a feature is actually standard
When a feature’s status matters, check both its proposal maturity and its place in the specification. The latest ECMA-262 draft can move ahead of the last published yearly edition. The Ecma published-edition page identifies the current formal publication. TC39’s official process page and proposal materials provide stage context; implementation availability is a separate question.
Rank #4
- Check the stage: a proposal at Stage 2 or 3 is not the same as a feature in a published standard.
- Check the specification: distinguish language in the live draft from language in the published edition.
- Check implementation separately: a proposal listing, polyfill or experimental implementation does not prove standardization or broad support.
These checks answer different questions: proposal maturity, specification status and practical availability. Do not infer support across browsers or runtimes from a stage label alone.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
