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What is a Programming language?
Programming languages are essential tools used by developers to create software applications or instructions for computers to execute tasks. They serve as the interface through which humans communicate with machines to achieve specific outcomes. Today, there exists a wide array of programming languages, each with its own unique rules, structures, and syntax for writing programs. Let’s explore some of the best programming languages currently in demand:
To assist in making an informed choice, here’s an overview of the top programming languages highly sought after by employers in 2024. Each language will be examined in terms of its intricacy, applications, and relevance in the industry.
Top Computer Languages for Programming
When you decide to step up into a programming career, many questions strike through your mind, let’s discuss some of the common questions below:
- What is the best programming language to invest money and time?
- Which programming language is in most demand?
- Which one provides the bulk of job opportunities?
- Which language is stable in the market?
There is no ‘right’ answer to such questions. Choosing the first programming language to learn will depend upon various factors such as the type of projects you work on, which programming language will be best suitable for that project, how easy you want it to be, and what the difficulty level is.
To learn about the top five programming languages, check out the following video
Below are some of the latest programming languages you can learn to grab lucrative jobs or upgrade your current programming skills. If you want to work as a developer, you must learn programming languages and enhance your skills in them.
Let’s start with the first programming language.
Python
Python is one of the most flourishing and best programming languages to learn today. It is among the new and evergreen programming languages. It is very easy and fun for beginners to learn Python because it is an open-source and object-oriented programming language. Python programming language was developed by Guido Van Rossum, and it was released in 1991.
It is very easy to use and easy to deploy, and it supports many platforms and systems. It is very simple to understand and the easiest programming language to learn. It supports multiple libraries and allows you to do more complex applications effortlessly. It is used in web development, system development, Machine Learning, etc. The most popular websites such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Amazon make use of Python programming language.
However, the Python programming language is not suitable for mobile applications. The database layer is a bit primitive and underdeveloped.
If you are looking for a better job and a higher salary, enroll now with Intellipaat’s Python Certification Training!
JavaScript
JavaScript is another new coding language, which is again a frequently used object-oriented language. It is among the most popular programming languages in the world. It was earlier named ‘LiveScript,’ when released in the year 1995, and later it was renamed JavaScript. JavaScript is vital to designing front-end web development and back-end development. JavaScript programming language helps give a good look and feel for websites so that it is easier for the end-users. It is compatible with all major browsers.
Learn about Popular Languages used in Web Development in this detailed blog on Web Development Languages.
Unlike Python, this programming language can be used in mobile development, and also for desktop app development and game development. JavaScript programming language is very easy to learn. Many organizations such as Netflix, Uber, PayPal, and several startups use it.
Learn Javascript from experts
JavaScript is a client-side scripting language. It is very fast as it can run in the client-side browser. JavaScript will not allow many inheritances, and it can be interpreted by different browsers.
Swift
Swift is a general-purpose and open-source programming language. If you are interested in developing iOS applications, then opting for Swift programming language is the right decision to make, and it is a high-paid career path too. Swift was developed by Apple in July 2010. It is used to develop macOS and iOS applications. Swift has replaced Aim C for Apple-related applications.
Programming in Swift is similar to the English language and, thus, it is easy to understand; it does not have long code lines. However, with the continuous updating of Swift versions of Apple, it is unstable.
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Java
Java has been the most popular and common coding language in use to date. It is used by large organizations for developing server-side applications. Java is a general-purpose programming language with an object-oriented structure. It has WORA capabilities, i.e., it can ‘Write Once, Run Anywhere.’ Java was designed and developed at Sun Microsystems by James Gosling in the year 1996. Java programming language offers various APIs for different activities such as networking, database connection, XML parsing, etc.
Learn Java training from this tutorial video
Learn about the difference between Functional Programming and Object-Oriented Programming in our comparison blog on Functional Programming vs OOPs.
Java is the most widely used computer programming language, if you are looking for development-based jobs then taking up Java is a great start. It has a powerful Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which makes it cross-platform compatible. JVM is used as a backend for various websites, namely, Google, Twitter, and YouTube. It applies to web applications, Android applications, and Big Data tools.
Java has powerful open-source rapid-development tools and has a large number of open-source libraries. In Java, memory management is very expensive, and there is a limit to creating high-quality data structures in the absence of templates.
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C/C++
C is the oldest programming language, which is flexible and efficient. C++ is the advanced version of C, and it was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup in 1983. C/C++ is the root of other programming languages such as Java, C#, and JavaScript and hence, they have a similar syntax to C/C++.
C++ is used in advanced computations, graphics compilers, and game development. It has many compilers and libraries. However, it does not support dynamic memory allocation, and the syntax of this language is very complex for beginners.
If you are new to programming, then you can start with this C Programming Tutorial!
C# Programming Language
C# is pronounced as C Sharp. It is a general-purpose, object-oriented language built on the foundations of C. Basically, it was designed to build Windows applications. It was created by Microsoft as part of its .NET framework.
It is very easy to learn because its syntax is very similar to other C-derived languages such as C++. So, in case you’re coming from another language in the C family. C# will not only help us to develop Microsoft apps, but mobile developers can also use it to build cross-platform apps on the Xamarin platform.
Moreover, if you are interested in VR development then you should consider learning C#. It is the most recommended language for 3D and 2D video game development. Unity game engine, which produces one-third of the top games on the global market is using C#.
Advantages of C# Language:
- C # is purely object-oriented
- C # is a type-safe language.
- A programmer need not worry about problems such as memory loss etc.
- Version control is well managed using the assembly concept of C#.
- Easy to develop, the rich class library makes many functions easy to implement.
Disadvantages
- Programmers won’t be able to perform low-level tasks.
- It does not have an independent compiler.
R Programming Language
R is a programming language that was developed by Robert Gentleman and Ross Ihaka in 1993. It is used in statistical computing, scientific research, and data analytics. R is open-source, and it runs on all platforms easily. It provides a variety of graphical and statistical techniques and is highly extensible. R has eight packages supplied with its distribution and many more from the CRAN family covering a wide range of modern statistics.
Advantages of R programming language:
- Support for data wrangling
- Array of packages
- Quality graphing and plotting
- High compatibility
- Machine Learning operations
Disadvantages of R programming language:
- Weak origin
- Basic security features
- Weak data handling
- Slow
- Spread across various packages
According to the survey by Revolution Analytics, the average salary of an R Programmer is US$110,000 per year in the United States. If you are a Data Analytics enthusiast, enroll now with Intellipaat’s R Programming Certification!
Scala
Scala was created and developed by Martin Odersky. It is a general-purpose programming language. It is not a Java Extension but is completely interoperable with it. Scala files are first translated to Java bytecode and run on JVM Java Virtual machines during compilation.
Scala is both object-oriented and functional. It is a pure object-oriented language when the value is an object and functional language when every function is a value.
If you know Java, it’s worth learning Scala. Scala has features of Java such as its Object-Oriented Structure and its very fast JVM runtime environment.
As Scala is a functional programming language, it enables engineers to increase the quality of their code to resemble pure math. Scala allows for concurrent programming, allowing complex procedures to be executed in parallel.
Advantages
- Its functional programming concept leads to developing programs with very few bugs.
- It is a self-type language which means it does not depend upon any classes or attributes with whom it is interacting.
- It has many other features like string comparison advancements, pattern matching, etc.
Disadvantages
- There is a limited developer pool available for Scala. Mainly only those developers who learn Java, move forward with Scala.
- The learning curve is a bit difficult as Scala comes up with features and concepts that most programmers are not familiar with the new concepts. So it can take some time to learn these concepts.
- It has limited documentation and commercial support.
If you want to master Apache Spark and Scala, check out this Spark Course and Spark Certification offered by Intellipaat.
PHP
PHP stands for Hypertext Programming Language. It is a widely used, open-source scripting language. It was developed in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf. Those who are looking to learn PHP should be comfortable with HTML, CSS, and Javascript beforehand. Its scripts are executed over the server and it is free to download and use.
Advantages of PHP
- PHP is very helpful in generating dynamic content.
- It is very helpful in collecting form data.
- It can send and receive cookies
- Basically, it speeds up custom web application development.
- It works with databases very efficiently.
Disadvantages of PHP
- Rather than learning PHP, programmers need to learn its frameworks.
- There is a difference in the quality of PHP frameworks.
- It lacks to modify the core behaviors.
If you want to master PHP, check out this PHP Course offered by Intellipaat.
How to get started?
Although there are many different programming languages available in the market today, only the top 9 programming languages are shortlisted above. All computer programming languages are prone to changes. Nonetheless, the list of programming languages mentioned above has proved to have a great stay in the market so far and it will continue in the future to a far extent. Therefore, by learning one of these programming languages, you can be in an excellent position in the upcoming years. To learn these languages, enroll in our Programming courses.