If you’re new to the field of software development, the toughest part of learning programming is deciding where to begin. There are hundreds of programming languages in widespread use, each with its own complexities and characteristics.
The good news is that as you begin your journey as a software developer, you’ll start to discover which programming language will be most suitable for you, your interests, and your career goals.
These programming languages, presented to you by the Faculty of Information Technology, are rated as the most popular for software developers, including web development, mobile development, game development, and more.
- JavaScript
JavaScript is the most popular language among developers in recent years. Along with HTML and CSS, JavaScript is essential to front-end web development. A majority of the web’s most popular sites, from Facebook and Twitter to Gmail and YouTube, rely on JavaScript to create interactive web pages and dynamically display content to users.
While JavaScript is primarily a user interface language that runs in the browser, it can also be used on the server side through Node.js to build extensible applications. Node.js is compatible with Linux, SunOS, Mac OS X, and Windows.
Since JavaScript has a flexible and easy-to-use syntax and works across all browsers, it is one of the friendliest programming languages for beginners.
- Swift
If you’re interested in Apple products and mobile app development, Swift is a good place to start. First announced by Apple in 2014, Swift is a relatively new programming language used to develop iOS and macOS applications.
Swift has been optimized for performance and built from the ground up to match the realities of modern iOS development. Not only does iOS run on every iPhone and iPad, but it’s also the basis for other operating systems such as watchOS (for Apple Watches) and tvOS (for Apple TVs).
- Scala
If you’re familiar with Java—a classic programming language in its own right—it’s worth checking out its modern cousin, Scala. Scala combines the best features of Java (such as its Object-Oriented Structure and its lightning-fast JVM runtime environment) with a modern twist.
As a functional programming language, Scala allows engineers to elevate the quality of their code to resemble pure math. Scala allows for concurrent programming, allowing complex procedures to be executed in parallel. This will be the language that many programmers are interested in in the future.
- Go
One of the core languages favored by Google, Go is the little language that could. As a low-level language, Go is ideal for engineers who want to enter the field of systems programming. It encompasses much of the same functionality of C and C++ without the difficult syntax and steep learning curve. It’s the perfect language for building web servers, data pipelines, and even machine-learning packages.
As a compiled language, Go runs “close to the metal,” allowing for a blazing-fast runtime. It’s an open-source language, and ambitious developers can see their personal contributions adopted and enjoyed by programmers worldwide.
- Python
Python is perhaps the most user-friendly programming language of any on this list. It’s often said that Python’s syntax is clear, intuitive, and almost English-like, which, like Java, makes it a popular choice for beginners.
Also like Java, Python has a variety of applications that make it a versatile, powerful option when choosing the best programming language for your use case. If you’re interested in back-end web development, for example, then the open-source Django framework, written in Python, is popular, easy to learn, and feature-rich. Django has been used in the development of some popular sites like Mozilla, Instagram, and Spotify.
Python also has packages such as NumPy and SciPy that are commonly used in the fields of scientific computing, mathematics, and engineering. Other Python libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, and OpenCV are used to build programs in data science, machine learning, image processing, and computer vision. Python’s science and data applications make it a great choice for the academically inclined.
- Elm
One of the youngest languages on this list of 9 languages, it started as a Harvard student thesis and has now become popular among front-end developers around the world.
Elm compiles to JavaScript, making it ideal for building user interfaces that execute quickly with no runtime errors. Elm is a functional programming language that allows Software Developers to create client-side interfaces.
- Ruby
Ruby is another scripting language that’s commonly used for web development. In particular, it’s used as the basis for the popular Ruby on Rails web application.
Beginners often gravitate toward Ruby because it has a reputation for having one of the friendliest and most helpful user communities. The Ruby community even has an unofficial saying, “Matz is nice and so we are nice,” encouraging members to model their kind and considerate behavior on Ruby’s chief inventor Yukihiro Matsumoto.
In addition to the active community and its straightforward syntax, Ruby is also a good language to pick up thanks to its association with great tech businesses. Twitter, Airbnb, Bloomberg, Shopify, and countless other startups have all built their websites using Ruby on Rails at some point.
- C#
Like C++, C# (pronounced C Sharp) is a general-purpose, object-oriented language built on the foundations of C. It was originally designed by Microsoft as part of its .NET framework for building Windows applications.
C# uses a syntax that’s similar to other C-derived languages such as C++, so it’s easy to pick up if you’re coming from another language in the C family. C# is not only the go-to for Microsoft app development, but it’s also the language mobile developers use to build cross-platform apps on the Xamarin platform.
Additionally, anyone who is interested in VR development should consider learning C#. C# is the recommended language for building 3D and 2D video games using the popular Unity game engine, which produces one-third of the top games on the market.
- Rust
Rust is a bit of an upstart among the other languages on this list, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a valuable language to learn. According to Stack Overflow’s 2020 Developer’s Survey, Rust was the most loved programming language among developers for the fifth year in a row, with 86.1% of Rust developers saying that they want to continue working on it.
Developed by the Mozilla Corporation, Rust, like C and C++, is intended primarily for low-level systems programming. What Rust adds to the mix, however, is an emphasis on speed and security. Rust emphasizes writing “safe code” by preventing programs from accessing parts of memory that they shouldn’t, which can cause unexpected behavior and system crashes.
Rust’s advantages mean that other big tech companies, such as Dropbox and Coursera, are using it internally for operational purposes. While it may be a bit more difficult to master than other beginner languages, Rust programming skills are likely to pay off handsomely, as the language’s popularity will only continue to rise in the near future.
The final decision is yours
When deciding which programming language to learn, it’s important not to get caught up in flashy trends and popularity contests. The best programming languages to learn in 2021 may sound like the best programming languages to learn in 2017 and 2018, and that will continue to be true for the next few years.
Although the field of computer programming changes rapidly, the languages listed above have a great deal of staying power. By learning one or more of these languages, you’ll be in an excellent position not only for this year but in the years to come.
When beginning your journey into coding, only you can answer the question of the best programming language to learn. Make your selection based on your career interests and the type of software development you want to pursue. Here is a quick summary of the different possibilities we’ve discussed:
- Front-end web development: JavaScript
- Back-end web development: JavaScript, Java, Python, PHP, Ruby
- Mobile Development: Swift, Java, C#
- Game Development: C++, C#
- Desktop Applications: Java, C++, Python
- System Programming: C, Rust
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