JavaScript bitwise operators, although not frequently used, offer unique applications in coding, such as manipulating binary data with operations like NOT, AND, OR, XOR, and shifting bits either left or right. These operators function by converting operands to 32-bit signed integers, and each operator serves distinct purposes: NOT inverts bits, AND is used in bit masking to turn off specific bits, OR can turn on specific bits, XOR toggles bit values, left shift moves bits to the left enhancing values, sign-propagating right shift maintains the sign of the number while shifting bits to the right, and zero-fill right shift shifts bits to the right filling empty spaces with zeros, which always results in an unsigned integer. Practical applications include tasks like RGB to hexadecimal color conversions and managing configuration flags, demonstrating the versatility and potential efficiency gains in using bitwise logic for specific programming scenarios.