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Client-side programming is a script that executes in the user's browser, rather than on the web server. This means that the code is downloaded by the browser and then executed, rather than the result of the script as ran on the web server being downloaded (which is known as server-side programming).

Client-side programming has its advantages: most of the languages have access to functions in the browser; for example Javascript has the ability to change the content of the page on-the-fly or perform a task if a button or link has been pressed. This makes client-side programming a better choice for performing tasks that require feedback from the user or the browser or having to dynamically update the browser (especially without refreshing the page).

Choosing this type of language, however, does have its disadvantages. Being a language that executes in the user's browser, it needs to have the language inside the browser in order to run (ie. the browser needs to be able to understand and execute the code). This means that running a client-side script may not work for all site visitors.

Client-side programming can also mean larger pages need to be downloaded (or at least, an extra page may need to be downloaded). This is because rather than just the result of the script is sent to the browser with server-side languages, the entire script needs to be downloaded in order for client-side code to be executed.

Some client-side languages include Javascript, ActiveX, and VBScript.