Have you ever thought, what is the best programming language? I am sure you do while starting a project. Isn’t it? But again the answer can be really tough as depending on various projects you will have different opinions. Well this article will be very useful for the ones who want to know the current state-of-the-art.

A glimpse at the evolution of programming languages

Languages are the most fundamental part of the tech landscape. Therefore, the programming languages continue to evolve in both research and industry, since systems and applications tend to change rapidly. Today we get to see a variety of programming languages with different languages, features and syntax. Developers can be seen using languages based on client’s recommendations or sometimes on their own. Between 1967 and 1997, the language technology developed, giving birth to some of the most famous programming languages that are used even today. The rapid growth of the internet in the mid-1990s proved to be a significant boost for the programming language world.

Why don’t we quickly look at the journey of the programming languages so far? Around the year 2010, Java and JavaScript were the most popular ones, followed by PHP, C++, C, Python, and C#. Then in the year 2015, the ranks almost changed. Even though Java and JavaScript could sustain their top most rank, Python moved up replacing PHP for third place. The following ranking were like PHP, C#, C++, and C. Particularly, R, a language for statistical computing, came in the top ten, displaying the growing need and importance of data analysis and data mining. Additionally, Objective-C, a language for Apple platforms, was joined by Swift, a new Apple language. Again, by the year 2019 there was certainly a change in the ranking. Python became the most popular language, JavaScript overtaking Java into second place. Then the rankings below the top three were not seen clustered anymore: there was a clear preference order between C#, PHP, C++, and C. Also, Swift and Objective-C fell behind R. So, now to get familiar with the most in-demand programming languages of the current times, take a look at the section below. 

Looking at the top programming languages in 2021

We will take an overview of the most in-demand programming languages for 2021. Here we go.

JavaScript

This language is used for building web servers, mobile apps, web development and game development. JavaScript examples include Angular, React, and Vue. According to Stack Overflow’s 2020 Developer Survey, JavaScript presently stands as the most commonly-used language in the world (69.7%), followed by HTML/CSS (62.4%), SQL (56.9%), Python (41.6%) and Java (38.4%). It is used to manage the behavior of web pages. With the help of this language, coders are able to create dynamic web elements like animated graphics, interactive maps, clickable buttons and much more. Programmers using HTML, CSS and JavaScript in tandem attain a higher level of website control and can provide a much better user experience with regard to navigation and readability.

It is the most commonly used language around the world in today’s times. Most of the web browsers are using this and also it is one of the easiest languages to learn. It doesn’t require any prior coding language. After you start learning, you can practice with ease and comfort. Since this language is ubiquitous, you will find numerous communities, courses and avenues of professional support that are available online.

Python

This language is used for back-end development, data science and app development. It is a general-purpose programming language that allows developers to use various different programming styles (i.e., functional, object-oriented, reflective, etc.) while creating programs. Many of the popular digital tools and platforms were developed with Python such as YouTube, Google Search and iRobot machines. Considered as one of the easy-to-learn and -use languages, it can be a great choice for the beginners and experienced coders as well. It has an extensive library which supports common commands and tasks. Python’s interactive qualities enable programmers to test code as they go, decreasing the amount of time wasted on building and testing long sections of code.  

HTML

This language is used for web documents, website development and website maintenance. So, basically HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is a markup language, that means it is responsible for formatting the appearance of information on a website. This language is used in describing web pages with ordinary text. It also does not have the similar functionality as other programming languages in this list and is restricted to building and structuring text on a website. Additionally, HTML domain includes sections, headings, links and paragraphs.

CSS

This language is used for web documents, website development and website design. CSS, or cascading style sheets, is generally applied in combination with HTML and governs the site’s appearance. It is responsible for identifying the size, color and position of all page elements, while HTML arranges site text into chunks. This programming language is also suitable, the cascading part of the name states that an applied style will be able to cascade down from parent elements to all children elements over the site. This feature refers to the fact that once users identify aesthetics for the main parent, they won’t need to manually repeat their code over a website. Therefore, the delegation of site organization to HTML and aesthetics to CSS means that the users do not need to entirely rewrite a web page in order to change a color. For the beginners it’s a very convenient language to opt for before going after any complex languages. 

Java

This language is used for E-commerce, finance and app development. It can be considered as a general use and object-oriented programming language. So, in object-oriented programming, developers tend to create objects which encompass functions and data that can be utilized to provide structure for programs and applications. Java can be easily learned and used, provides proper security and can manage huge amounts of data. Consequently, all these features make Java a perfect language for the online finance sector, and it is also used in industries like banking, billing and the stock market. The learners get amazed by this language's versatility and also it can be efficiently run on any operating system, irrespective of whichever OS used in order to write the original code. It is also used to build sensors, remote processors and a variety of other consumer products. 

SQL

This language is used for database management, sales reports and business management. SQL, also known as or Structured Query Language, is a language that enables programmers to examine and manipulate databases. Considered as a domain-specific language, it is designed majorly for handling data within an RDBMS (relational database management system). It can recover data from a database, update, or add or remove records as well. Along with being highly functional, it happens to work better with small databases and doesn’t get involved in lending itself to managing extensive ones. In the programming industry, SQL ranks as the third-most-used language, with over half (54.7%) of surveyed developers confirming the same. 

NoSQL

This language is used for database management, sales reports and business management. NoSQL, also known as Non-relational SQL, was built to enhance SQL’s scalability while retaining the other language’s ease of use. If you can recollect, SQL uses relational database/stream management systems which keep data in tables and enables users to manipulate and extract data. On the contrary, NoSQL databases do not utilize tables and can be more beneficial than their predecessors for particular applications like storing data in a hierarchical network or supporting large-scale, cloud-based applications.

C#

This language is used for game development, desktop/web/mobile apps and VR. Being stylized as C Sharp, C# belongs to the object-oriented family of programming languages. It was released in the year 2002 by Microsoft and is today popular as a much-loved improvement on the C++ coding language. It is hugely popular for developing web and desktop applications.  A wide community works with C# and provides support to new learners. Consequently, it is easy to learn C# than learning some of the latest and less-documented languages. It also can be an ideal fit for creating popular mobile apps and games.

Rust

This language is used for operating systems, VR and web browsers. Rust has constantly ranked at the top of the most-loved programming languages according to Stack Overflow, with 86% of users confirming that they were really looking forward to continuing to develop with it. According to the survey, only 3% of developers stated that they were unfamiliar with this language's usefulness. It is considered as a “multi-paradigm” programming language, that means it enables developers to work in a wide range of programming styles. Also, in syntax, it is comparable to C++, even though it can be seen supporting much broader-ranging applications.  

Perl

This language is used for system administration, GUI development and network programming. Perl cannot be considered as the most frequently used language on the market. In 2020, only 3.1 percent of developers used this language and it also couldn’t make it to Stack Overflow’s commonly used languages list for 2019. It still can be recommended for one reason and i.e., learning this language could increase your earnings potential. Perl or Practical Extraction and Report Language is basically a scripting language which is frequently used to extract information from a text file and create a report.

We get to observe that many of the many programming languages are compiled languages, consequently wherein a target machine translates the program, but Pearl can be referred to as an interpreted language, wherein a third “interpreting” machine locates the code and implements a task. Generally, interpreted programs need more CPU, but since Perl is such a concise language, it creates short scripts which can be processed swiftly. 

Go

This language is used for system/network programming, Audio/video editing and Big Data. It was developed in the year 2007, and is considered to be a top-tier programming language. Its efficiency makes it an ideal choice, and is able to implement various processes concurrently. This language has a very comprehensive “vocabulary,” which refers to the fact that it is able to display much more information than other languages. Although it utilizes the same syntax as C, Go is a standout language which provides top-notch memory safety and management features. In addition to that, Go’s structural typing capabilities enable for a great deal of functionality and dynamism. 

C/C++

Nearly all the low-level systems like operating systems, file systems, etc are written in C/C++. It can be one of the most convenient languages for a system-level programmer. This language is broadly utilized by competitive programmers owing to the fact that it is exceptionally fast and stable. Additionally, it also offers STL, known as Standard Template Library. STL can be considered as a pool of ready-to-use libraries for numerous data structures, arithmetic operations, and algorithms. Furthermore, the library support and speed of the language make it a perfect popular choice in the High-frequency trading community. 

R

For data analysis and machine learning, R is one of the most frequently used programming languages. It offers an excellent framework and built-in libraries to build powerful machine learning algorithms. This language is also utilized for general statistical computing and graphics as well. It is well adopted by the organizations and one who opts to join the “Analytics” team of a huge company should certainly learn this language. It has a capacity to seamlessly run on numerous operating systems. Additionally, this comprehensive statistical analysis language is highly extensible as well.

Swift

This language is used to develop iOS applications, since at current times, iOS-based devices are becoming hugely popular. For example, the Apple iPhone has captured an important market share and is giving a tough competition to Android. Moreover, anybody willing to serve this community can learn Swift programming. Its better scalability enables it to easily add functionalities to the product and/or bring in additional developers. Also, in this language, very easily new features can be added. The developers are encouraged to write clean and readable code. Swift helps in making code sharing better and the development process faster while used for both frontend and backend development. In comparison to other languages like Objective-C and Python, it can be considered very fast.

PHP

This language is among the most famous backend programming languages. Although PHP tends to face tough competition from Python and JavaScript, yet the market requires a huge number of PHP developers. Anyone looking to join a well old company as a backend developer should focus on learning this programming language. There is an abundance of powerful frameworks under this language. With PHP, you can easily get started with making web pages. It has a huge community support, along with a lot of automation tools for testing and deploying applications. Additionally, it supports object-oriented and functional programming paradigms.

MATLAB

This language is a statistical analysis tool which is utilized in numerous industries for data analysis. It is broadly used in the Computer Vision and Image processing industry. MATLAB’s functionality can be extended significantly by adding toolboxes. It possesses a high coding efficiency and productivity since it doesn’t necessitate a compiler for implementation. This language can be an ideal choice for developing scientific research applications. Also, MATLAB coder enables converting code for use in other programming languages, such as C++, Java, and Python. 

Moving forward, if you want to peek at the programming languages market share in 2021, go through the statistical diagram below:

How can businesses make a decision on the number of languages it can support?

It can be a tough call to choose the suitable programming languages for your organization. You will certainly look for a set of languages that will enable reign in maintenance costs and long-term business viability. However, it is observed that some of the developers want to learn every new language and experience diversity in learning and development. But on the other hand, some of them prefer sticking to one particular language and become a specialist. 

So, depending on the business necessities, the companies tend to support various programming languages. For instance, Twitter shifted from Ruby to Java and Scala. Ruby’s performance wasn’t good enough and was influencing their capacity to deliver their service. Although the change was expensive, it was necessary. Apart from the performance concern, there were some other technical factors which made Twitter opt for a change. 

Here is one more example, Facebook and PHP. PHP was charged with many things, out of which some were true, specifically when it comes to security. Some of the people stated that PHP is especially slow. So, basically the point is that Facebook is so huge that any kind of enhancement in performance can save them a significant amount of money. Again, on one hand PHP wasn’t performing well, yet it was quite easy to work with and they had a large codebase in that language. It can be said that they had outgrown the language. Still rather than changing their development language they preferred changing the language itself and made it work. Not just one, they in fact created two technologies to enhance its performance: first HipHop for PHP, a PHP-to-C++ transpiler, and then the more popular HHVM, a virtual machine for PHP and Hack. They in fact invented a dialect of PHP called Hack. 

At OpenSense Labs, polyglot programming is highly encouraged. Since we work for a variety of clients, consequently our developers are well equipped with multiple languages which are in high demand in today’s market. We majorly go for PHP, as being a Drupal agency we need to focus upon the language that Drupal is based on. Then we have Python, HTML, CSS and various other frameworks as well. Our developers also use Javascript frameworks such as React, Next js and Angular js. 

Let me tell you the list is really long. I have somehow managed to bring you up to these many languages that developers are well versed in. So, in brief I would like to say that OSL always looks for challenging projects which tend to make their developers’ teams discover new skills and knowledge. 

To see some examples on how to plan your development, read:

• How to adopt secure software development lifecycle for safer path to production
• Infinity stones of Drupal development
• Skills for being a successful Drupal developer
• Hiring the right skills for decoupled Drupal project

Conclusion

This article tried giving you an overview of what programming languages are in high demand these days. You could also take a quick look at how businesses go by in supporting the languages convenient for their organizations. So, now you’ll have to smartly choose the suitable languages and deliver excellent products and services to your clients, enhancing customer loyalty.