This article will highlight what actually matters right now and how programming languages landscape is shaping up in shorter to medium term. The article will only cover the real programming languages, therefore just set aside HTML, CSS, SQL, Bash / shell script etc. for a while. So, without further ado, let’s go!
Here are top 6 programming languages:
JavaScript
If we are out to find any Swiss army knife of programming languages to serve wider domains, then JavaScript is the one which deserves the slot. JavaScript had a humble beginning in 1995 as an embedded scripting language for Netscape Navigator 2 to add a bit of interactivity to HTML contents. Today you can do almost any kind of development with JavaScript, whether it’s web development, mobile apps development, even game development or machine learning and as of late server-side and desktop apps using platforms like Node.js and Electron.
Hence, if you are to learn only one programming language and do almost everything, then the option is JavaScript. Its library of packages is growing enormously and there is hardly any problem which cannot be addressed through available resources in JavaScript realm.
Python
Python is the current king as per various tracking tools and usage statistics such as TIOBE Index, which tracks usage of programming languages and maintains a list of top programming languages in the world; TIOBE Index currently places Python at number 1 position.
Python is one of the easiest programming languages to learn and it has unique syntax unlike most of the high-level languages as it utilizes spaces and indentation instead of curly brackets in order to distinguish separate blocks of code.
Python is a general-purpose language and it’s next to JavaScript when it comes to catering to the wider spectrum of domains. If for some reason, you don’t choose JavaScript to learn first, then Python is the one to learn in order to develop anything effectively and efficiently.
Python is leading in the fields of machine learning and web development. It’s also a formidable option for desktop development. One field where Python lacks is mobile app development.
Java
Before Python, there was time when Java used to be taught as the language of choice. It doesn’t mean that Java has come down in popularity – it’s as famous and widely used as was 20 years back.
Java is rock solid and stick to Object Oriented Programming principles deeply. In fact, if someone really wants to get grips over OOP, then Java should be the first choice. One of the major appeals of Java is cross-platform development – Java code is written once and can be executed on any OS whether it’s Windows, Linux, macOS or even embedded systems.
Enterprise grade back-ends are developed in Java as it’s solid, stable, robust and business oriented, therefore, it’s the natural choice for big banks and financial institutes all over the world. Not only that, but Java is equally omnipresent at front-end side since Java is the primary option along with Kotlin in Android development.
C/C++
C/C++ have been top position holders for so long. Only Python had the mettle to dislocate them out of their position after a long battle…or should we say world-war. If speed is the sole target to achieve, then there is no comparison to C/C++ as these are the closest to raw hardware without extra layers as the case with other high-level languages. That’s why most of the operating systems, OS utilities, real-time systems, embedded systems are preferably developed in C/C++. Don’t mind that we are combining C and C++ as both achieve the same results – the only real difference is that the former adheres to procedural approach and the later one is object-oriented proponent.
C/C++ are the grand-parents of all that comes beneath them – and even after 50 years these rock-stars stand firmly on the programming stage and keep singing Ozzy Osbourne’s Not Going Away…
C#
Web development, Windows development and gaming development – all are fields where C# has strong foothold.
Being the crown jewel of Microsoft’s offerings to developers, C# along with .NET provide the robust platform to develop secure, enterprise grade applications.
Microsoft, under the leadership of Satya Nadella, has evolved positively to maintain a well-balanced approach towards offering commercial as well as open-source products – .NET is among such products which are offered as open-source. Applications built upon it, can be run on Windows, macOS as well as Linux. Similarly, using Xamarin tools (now part of .NET MAUI) IOS and Android apps can easily be developed with C#. ASP.NET is also a huge reason to choose C# through which web-apps can be developed with rock solid, secure base. Therefore, a sizeable number of medium to large-size companies usually choose ASP.NET for their web-apps development purposes.
However, C# really shines at developing Windows applications as well as games. In fact, C# is offered as a language of choice in many industry-leading game development frameworks such as Unity, Godot etc.
Again, if you don’t want to go with JavaScript or Python (say, absence of curly brackets really offends your coding beliefs), C# is always here to give you that superpower to create almost anything using just one language. It’s battle-tested, type-safe, backed up by industry giant, smart descendant of C++, solid OOP adherent…I can go on and on bragging about C# supremacy but next one is waiting in line ; )
PHP
Well, as mentioned above the king is busy on many fronts, but one thing is for sure – PHP is the undisputed queen on the web development chessboard. If you are in web development and you want to up your game, the next language you should learn after JavaScript, is definitely PHP.
PHP is purpose built and it came into existence to automate web tasks…and gradually it transformed into powerhouse language, especially if you look back at the clumsiness of version 5 of PHP and compare it with shininess of version 8.
PHP serves its purpose pretty well specially with the advent of tools like WordPress and Laravel. For a very large number of people WordPress and Laravel along with their ecosystem, is reason enough to stick to PHP. For many years I’ve also been the avoider of PHP due to its lacking ‘x’ factor or being restricted to one domain only i.e., web (many people new to programming have the urge to learn and use a language which could be jack of all trades). However, after evaluating and playing around with so many languages and frameworks, I ended up with not-so-cool PHP along with its offerings in the shape of WordPress and Laravel. Remember this, PHP is not your sexiest girlfriend to show around, it’s rather humble, dedicated, dutiful wife at home tending to your needs unflinchingly.
Then the other 4 to make it 10:
Swift
If you are into Apple’s ecosystem, you use Swift – it’s as simple as that. Although traditionally Objective-C was opted by Apple to have software developed for IOS and macOS. However, as Apple has a mantra of being attentive to minute details, they created their own programming language to align everything and thus offered seamless experience even to developers. Apart from that, Swift in itself is modern, robust, fast and safe programming language which showcases the strengths of many programming languages in one neat package.
TypeScript
TypeScript is tagged as “JavaScript with syntax for types” – that’s exactly what it is. TypeScript was developed at Microsoft by Anders Hejlsberg, the legendary developer who also invented C#. It is one of the programming languages which have exploded in popularity recently, thanks to the rise of JavaScript as serious contender for enterprise app development. Large-size and complex applications often require type-safety as prerequisite so that all the properties within the sea of code are well-defined. TypeScript actually fixes that lacking in JavaScript and then some. If you follow along famous Stack Overflow Developer Survey, then it’s hard to avoid that how rapidly TypeScript has move ahead on developers’ radars worldwide – as of 2022 survey TypeScript stands firmly right after Python at number 5 beating even top used languages in the world.
Rust
Rust is being touted as modern replacement of C/C++. Even Linux Torvald has confirmed that Linux Kernel 6.1 will incorporate Rust code as second language after 31 years. That’s no ordinary feat for the language which is comparatively a new arrival. If we list down all the strengths and shortcomings of high-level languages and then bring Rust into the contest, it will surely tick all the right boxes. The primary focus of Rust is to match the speed of C/C++ with modern syntax. Addressing the biggest problem with C/C++, Rust enforces memory safety, however without employing garbage collector as implemented by other high-level languages such as Java and C#.
As far as the developers’ mindset is concerned, Rust tops the list of programming languages which are much loved by developers all over the world as indicated in 2022 Stack Overflow Developer Survey.
Go
Developed by Google for future, Go is the future. You fall in love from the very first statement i.e., importing a package which is a web URL and that’s just the start. Go is primarily intended for cloud development and we know that everything is moving to cloud rapidly. So, if you need to choose one language which is guaranteed to grow in future with the growth of cloud, then it’s definitely Go.
Within short span of time Go has already matured enough to have packages like Gin which is being compared to industry stalwarts like Django, Laravel, Ruby on Rails etc.
OK, 2 dark horses:
Kotlin
Besides Go, Kotlin is another language which will grow with the passage of time because it’s one of the officially supported JVM (Java Virtual Machine) languages. Therefore, whatever that can be developed through Java, can be done using Kotlin with much smarter and newer syntax. And developers love it too, so it’s natural that more and more people will shift to Kotlin from Java in coming days specially in the field of Android native app development as Google prefers Kotlin in that role very much. You can also learn how Meta (facebook) is migrating from Java to Kotlin here.
Dart
Dart is developed by Google and has modern and concise syntax. Dart has bright future primarily due to Flutter. Flutter is the developers’ dream come true platform. App developed using Flutter can be deployed across any platform with a single code-base without breaking a sweat whether it’s Android, IOS, Windows, macOS or Linux. Dart is the language behind Flutter and as of late Flutter is winning hearts of developers over all the major front-end frameworks including React Native! So, you get the picture where Dart is heading.
Category-wise top programming languages
As one size doesn’t fit all, a single programming language can’t effectively address all types of problems. So, let’s segregate programming languages with their strengths. Here I’ve listed programming languages priority-wise for each domain:
Web programming:
- JavaScript
- PHP
- Python
- TypeScript
- Go
- Java
- C#
Mobile app development:
- JavaScript
- Swift
- Kotlin
- Dart
Enterprise / Business solutions:
- Java
- C#
- Python
- Go
- TypeScript
Desktop software:
- C / C++
- C#
- Swift
- Python
- JavaScript
System software development (OS, device drivers, OS utilities):
- C / C++
- Rust
Game development:
- C / C++
- C#
- Java
- Swift
- Kotlin