Most Popular Programming Languages

For most people, when it comes to hearing the words “programming languages” they look confused. What exactly is a programming language? Well, the way that websites are built is via programming. Programming is giving a set of instructions to a computer to execute and programming languages are the tools we use to write instructions for computers to follow. Computers function in binary (a bunch of 1’s and 0’s). Programming languages translate the 1’s and 0’s into something that us humans can understand. Take a look at the most popular programming languages and what they have to offer.

Javascript

Javascript is a high-level programming language that is used by 97.6% of all websites. It was originally used to develop web browsers but no is used for server-side website deployments and no-web browser applications. Not to be confused with Java, Javascript is like a “younger sibling” of Java and has evolved over time to become a fully independent language. It is easy to learn and implement, reduces the demand on the website server, and can run immediately within the client-side browser.

Python

Python is another one of the most popular programming languages used today. Python is known for its readability, making it easy for beginners to learn. It’s a free, open-source language with extensive support modules and community development, user-friendly data structures, GUI-based applications, and easy integration with web services. Python is actually the main coding language for about 80% of developers. 

PHP

Created in 1990, PHP is an open-source programming language. It is one of the general-purpose scripting languages that continues to hold its importance. A lot of web developers find learning PHP essential, as it is used to build more than 80% of websites. PHP was even used to build Facebook, Amazon, Wikipedia, and Yahoo and is among the first server-side languages that can be embedded with HTML. PHP is also generally easy to learn, is faster than other languages, and is highly secure.

Java

Owned by Oracle Corporation, Java is among the most popular programming languages used today. This general-purpose programming language has become standard for applications that can be used regardless of platform (Mac, Windows, Android, iOS). Java is one of the most powerful programming languages and is used in more than 3 billion devices. Not only is it used in website development but it is also used in desktop applications, mobile applications, artificial intelligence, cloud applications, and more. 

Kotlin

Kotlin is another general-purpose programming language which was officially released in 2016. It is interoperable with Java and supports functional programming languages. Kotlin was designed to develop apps and is being used by over 60% of android developers. In fact, most of the Google applications are based on Kotlin. Some other companies that use Kotlin as their programming language are Coursera, Pinterest, PostMates, and more.

Go

Go was originally designed at Google back in 2007 to manage its rapidly growing infrastructure. It has recently become one of the fastest growing languages because of its simplicity and ability to handle multicore and networked systems. Go is one of the most reliable and efficient programming languages and is easy to learn and understand, supports automation processes, and facilitates AI and data science processes. Some companies that use Go as their programming language are Google, Uber, Twitch, Dropbox, and more.

Conclusion

There are many programming languages out there and they all offer some different things. It can often be overwhelming when there are so many good options to choose from for a programming language however, when doing some research and reading, you can decide confidently which language would be best for your website.