Are you planning to learn a programming language and confused about which will be best for you? In this article, we will look at the top six languages you can choose from.
Table of Contents
Introduction
There are around 200 programming languages till now, it is a brainstorm to pick one and start learning. As a beginner, it is very confusing, you might waste all your energy just thinking about which language to learn. To make this process easy for you,
Let’s dive into the article:
1. Python
Python is the most loved programming language around the globe. It can be used for many purposes. You can do competitive programming, software development, web development, and most importantly machine learning.
It is the dominant language in the world for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. If you learn Python, you can do all this amazing development stuff without learning any other programming language. The community of Python is growing faster. Python is an open-source language and developers around the world are contributing to making it better with every update. The Python PyPI package index can be a great resource for beginners to explore the various software, tools, and technology made by the community and available to use freely.
Python is easy to learn, its syntax is simple and similar to pseudocode. It is a lightweight programming language. The inbuilt libraries of Python make the life of every developer easier. Python can be easily integrated with other programming languages like Dart, JavaScript, etc. It can be used both for frontend and backend development.
What Can You Make Using Python?
- Audio applications
- Video applications
- Game development
- Console applications
- System administration applications
Courses to learn Python:
- Python Foundation with Data Structures
- Ninja Machine Learning Engineer Career Track
- Machine Learning and Data Science Complete
According to GitHub stats, there are more than 111k users, 1M repositories, and 298k packages.
Number of Jobs: 19,000
Average annual salary: $120,000
2. JavaScript
JavaScript is a popular scripting language. It was previously known for its client-side dynamic nature in web development. It is the most loved web development programming language. In 2020, the community of JavaScript has tripled. JavaScript is a lightweight programming language. The best part about JavaScript is it can be used for both client-side and server-side development.
The V8 chrome engine has now made it possible to write JavaScript code outside the browser. It is an object-oriented programming language. There are numerous JavaScript Frameworks like Angular, React, Vue.js, Ember.js, and more for different purpose of development.
One can build any type of application using these frameworks. It is also a single packet language that can be used to do anything either competitive programming or development. You can use JavaScript for both client-side and server-side scripting now.
What You Can Make With JavaScript?
- Dynamic Websites
- Mobile Applications
- Desktop Applications
Courses to learn JavaScript:
Ninja Web Developer Career Track – Nodejs and React
Advanced Front-end Web Development with React
According to GitHub stats, there are 69k users, 911k repositories, and 3k packages.
Number of Jobs: 24,000
Average annual salary: $118,000
3. C++
Developers who are majorly into competitive programming prefer C++. It is a powerful language and knows the correct way to use computer resources. Since it is resource-intensive, games are usually created by it. It is much faster than other programming languages.
Its syntax is difficult to get through in the beginning and the learning peak is higher. It is a scalable, statically typed language. The performance rate is higher than others. But it is not easy to maintain the code in C++. In large applications, it becomes difficult to find errors and debug them.
What Can You Make With C++?
- Game development
- Gaming Engines
- Desktop apps
- Web apps
- Mobile apps
Course to learn C++:
C++ Foundation in Data Structure
According to Github stats, there are 719k repositories and 25k packages.
Number of Jobs: 9,000
Average annual salary: $97,000
4. Java
Java is an open-source, object-oriented programming language. It has a community of around 9 million developers and runs on about eight billion devices around the world. The syntax of Java is easy to learn. In a shorter period, one can be ready to code efficiently in Java. There are several IDEs (Integrated Development Environments) for software development. It’s open-source libraries make development easier, cheaper and faster.
Java has sufficiently available packages, interfaces, classes, etc. The Java APIs can be used for networking, XML parsing, databases, etc.
What You Can Make With Java?
- Desktop applications
- Web applications
- Mobile applications
- Robotics
- Game development
Courses to learn from :
Java Foundation with Data Structures
Ninja Android Developer Career Track
According to Github stats, there are 102k users, 1M repositories, and 1k packages.
Number of Jobs: 29,000
Average annual salary: $104,000
5. C#
C# is an object-oriented programming language. It is flexible as compared to others. C# programs are majorly close to the .NET framework. It can take the benefit of services and programming interfaces of the .Net framework. The syntax of C# is expressive and easy to learn. The third-party applications in the window store are majorly written in C#. Therefore it has a bright future for Windows services.
What Can You Make With C#?
- Video games
- Windows applications
- Anti-hacking software
- Mobile applications
According to Github stats, there are 719k repositories and 25k packages.
Number of Jobs: 18,000
Average annual salary: $97,000
6. PHP
PHP is a flexible, dynamically typed programming language. It is easier to learn and was specially designed for making web development easier. It is majorly used for server-side development. PHP has a large community to make PHP easier, more powerful, and functional.
What can you do with PHP?
- Desktop applications
- Client-side scripting
- Server-side scripting
- Game scripting
According to Github stats, there are 49k users, 672k repositories and 49k packages.
Number of Jobs: 7,000
Average annual salary: $81,000
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want to learn a single programming language that can do all the work, or you are a machine learning enthusiast then you should start learning Python. If you already know a language, then you can choose one which will fulfill your career aspirations or the one you find interesting and curious about.
There are two types of computer programming languages :
1. Low-level language: It is a machine-dependent programming language. For Example, Binary and Assembly language. These languages are difficult to edit, read, and write.
2. High-level language: It is a machine-independent programming language. These languages are easy to edit, read, and write. Programming languages like Python, JavaScript, Java, C++, C#, etc are high-level programming languages.
Middle-level language: Although there is nothing like middle-level language in the official. The programming language which has features of both low-level and high-level programming languages are known as middle-level languages. C is an example of a middle-level programming language.
It is very difficult to declare one programming language as the best language. According to StackOverflow, the top five programming languages in the order are:
1. JavaScript
2. Python
3. Java
4. C#
5. PHP
Python and JavaScript are always the most wanted programming languages with a stable community and demand.
The reason developers find R better than Python is the speed. R is faster than Python, so data scientists usually prefer R over Python.
According to surveys, Python has a larger scope than Java. Python can be used for competitive programming, frontend, hacking, backend, game development, and for almost every purpose. Its syntax is simpler than that of Java and is easy to learn. Python is good to compare with Java. Java is highly in demand for enterprise-level software for the security features it provides.
HTML is not a coding language, it is a markup language. There is a specific criterion of the programming language in which HTML does not fit. It is a debating topic for some parts of the community, but for the present time, it is not part of the programming language.
The parameter on which the hardest programming languages are declared is syntax. The few hardest programming languages are:
1. BrainFuck
2. COW
3. Intercal
4. Malbolge
5. Whitespace
The syntax of all these programming languages is weird and very difficult to understand.
Conclusion
All the programming languages mentioned above have their own pros and cons. It is not that difficult to choose a programming language when the purpose is clear. On writing down the requirements, one can identify which programming language will meet all your requirements.
If you are working in a company, the choice might also depend upon the team or the requirement of the company.
You can also read about the Top Web Development Languages To Use In 2021.
