AJAX is an acronym for “asynchronous JavaScript and XML.” It is comprised of a number of technologies, including:
- XHTML and CSS
- The DOM (Documents Object Model) accessed with JavaScript, which according to Bruce Sterling is “the duct tape of the Web.” (see http://www.wired.com/beyond_the_beyond/2009/03/what-bruce-ster/)
- An asynchronous exchange of data between the server and the client, made possible through XMLHttpRequest (XHR), IFrame, or <script> elements.
- A format, such as XML, utilized to send data.
AJAX is utilized heavily in Web 2.0 technologies. For more information, see http://www.w3schools.com/Ajax/default.asp or Wikipedia’s page dedicated to the topic.
